The Start from the End
by Mimeux
Summary: Brought back from the dead with a new take on the meaning of eternity, Rory is back in Forks with her family and soul mate, set to wage a long awaited war of revolution, retribution, and redemption. Set directly after The Back End of Forever. JasperxOC
1. Chapter 1

(A/N: So I'll go back to being at the bottom of chapters after this – just a heads up to new readers, you should _probably_ go back and read the predecessor to this, **The Back End of Forever** , first. _Probably_. Yeah, I know, I'm real original with my titles hah. Warnings: mentions of sex, drinking, violence, all the good stuff. Disclaimer: obviously, I don't own Twilight; just my own OC's and plot. Another shitty cover photo...One day I'll fix these. Thanks, you guys fucking rock, readers/favoriters/followers/reviewers, whatever! Here we go!)

* * *

Reunion and the Promise of War

I regard my reflection in the mirror – I'm back to my old self. Not the woman who stared into herself in a run-down gas station in Los Angeles, and not the bloody-mess I was in Texas. I run my fingers over my shaved head – which is badass – and more importantly over the runes circling the crown of my head. It's a halo of almost translucent red that goes from temple to temple; it looks like scrawling script, looks slightly like ancient Greek. Three dots rest above each of my eyebrows, the smallest on the outside barely bigger than the point of a pencil and the inner two get only slightly bigger. An ultra-thin diamond starts between the two sets of circles, running the length of my forehead and disappearing into my hairline. My lips are split down the center by a thin red line that ends in another trio of dots at the tip of my chin. In the bright bathroom lighting, even through the fog still clinging to the glass, the red has the tell-tale shimmer of a venom tattoo.

It's beautiful, yes…to me and my vampire boyfriend; what about the populace at large? I was barely passable as normal before. I'm not complaining about being alive or anything, but _man_ am I going have a hard time finding jobs for the next few hundred years.

Then Jazz steps out of the shower, all steamy and wet and –

And he knows exactly what I'm trying not to think about.

"Can't we just go tomorrow," he wraps an arm around my waist; water droplets drip from his hair as he bends to press his lips softly on my shoulder, "please?"

I wiggle out of his grip with a mischievous smile, "The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can get back to…more important things."

I sense his disapproval in an instant. Damn impatient immortal sexy bas-

He grabs and picks me up easily, setting me down on the cool stone counter, ' _Important things_ now _, please.'_

I'm never going to be productive again in my long, long life.

* * *

It's hours later after a long and very distracting afternoon that I bang on Swan's front door; when it opens she looks happy enough to cry; nice to know I didn't fuck her up emotionally. Not anymore than she already was, at least.

"Wasn't expecting you to be here, girly," I say, punching her playfully in the shoulder," isn't your lady back?"

As soon as Jasper looks at her, I know everything that's been going on between her and Al. Which is nothing.

"Alice came back and you said _fuck that? And_ she's pissed about the hunter thing. Great."

Her face sours, a frown creases her youthful face – am I feeling her stubbornness?, "Yeah that's…not happening anymore. Nice to see you two back together," she adds, noting Jasper's hand in mine, "after the shit you went through…I – "

"We'll sort all this out at the house; let's go," I incline my head towards the familiar black charger sitting at the curb in front of my house, " _fuck_ , can't even get a moment to breathe after dying. Alice is really pissed, huh?" Jazz opens the door for Swan and I; she shuffles into the backseat first and I stop to give him a quick peck on the lips before sliding into my usual spot next to him.

Ugh, this is _too_ cute.

"She's such an _idiot,_ thinking she could leave the way she did and come back like nothing happened! Of _course_ my future changed – I decided that I want to be a hunter, if you still want to train me." She shuffles impatiently in the backseat as she waits for my answer.

"So no immortality for you?" I see her eye the marks on my face, "Oh. Those." What am I going to say, no? It's her choice; what cons could I offer when the pros seem to far outweigh them? I couldn't say no if I wanted to.

"I get _them_ , Rory. I'm not a vampire in that future anymore. And I'm not with Alice either; I can't forgive her just like that."

"Don't blame you – the only reason I'm in such a forgiving mood is because dying really puts perspective on things...But they _did_ explain soul mates don't _quite_ work like that, right? You can't just turn it off."

She shrugs, "Hasn't killed me yet, it's just pissing me off."

" _When_ did you turn into a mini-version of me?"

She rolls her eyes, "How are you feeling?"

"Like a superhero," I look in the rearview mirror with a cheeky grin, "I can't wait to see what other secrets they kept in that book."

"…Rory, you sound like you have something to settle; what really happened? What's going on?"

"I'll wait until we're all together – I don't want to have to explain things too many times or I'll realize I've finally gone bat-shit insane."

"You weren't before?" A Swan-like smile accompanies the question

"Shut it," I say as we finally pull into the wooded driveway; the large white house comes into view and looks the same as it ever did, "when did you become such a smart-ass?"

"When I turned into a mini-version of you," she says with _impeccable_ sarcastic inflection.

"Damn it, I _knew_ I'd be a terrible influence on you."

Jasper laughs and pulls Betty into the garage before he kills the engine, and it takes all of a millisecond after I exit the vehicle for me to get swept up into a bear hug.

"Ink!" Emmett laughs and spins me around once before setting me back on the ground, "You don't look like a corpse anymore!"

"Gee, thanks," I cross my arms in front of my chest and fix the dark haired giant with a stern look, "just what every girl wants to hear. Not 'you look nice' or 'glad you aren't dead.' Typical Colossus."

He looks more ashamed and hurt by my words than I intended; I place my right hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry about it big guy; shit's crazy. Where is everyone else?"

"Waiting," Rosalie says, entering the garage timidly; it's so weird to see her look unsure of herself, "we're all glad to see you again Rory; I'm sorry I –"

"Don't, really. No apologies – too awkward for me and highly unnecessary; I'd rather just occasionally give you guys shit about it. Come on, we've got a lot to talk about."

We enter the house, Rosa and Colossus leading the way, followed by Swan, then Jazz and I hand in hand at the back. Everyone only looks mildly interested in the first three as they enter the living room; they all nearly trip over themselves to rush to my side when they see me.

"Well hello there _family who abandoned me,_ " it's not serious at all as I mock glare at all the members of the Olympic coven, "you look like you've all seen a ghost. Or a recently brought back from the dead hunter – oh wait."

They all stay in a loose semi-circle around Jazz and I; after a minute of silence I throw my hands up in the air.

"Jesus; not everyone all at once now."

"Amory, I'd like to –"

" _No apologies._ I wouldn't mind you guys telling me how much you missed my _charming_ and _sterling_ personality," I interrupt Carlisle with a smile, "I'll be ribbing you guys about this for a while though; you totally deserve it."

Esme finally can't contain a motherly hug – she's almost as strong as Emmett as her arms circle me protectively, "We all missed you so much, Rory."

"Amory," an icy and alien voice says from somewhere near the kitchen. A dark looking pixie stands with one shoulder against the wall, her eyes narrowed to slits at me and Swan.

"Al, nice to see you again," I can somehow _feel_ that she's reluctantly happy to see me.

She looks torn for a second before she pouts, "I'm glad you're back, but did you have to ruin _everything?"_

"Yeah, that's kind of what I do; and if you think I wrecked shit _before_ just you wait. Before I get too deep into that," I turn to look at Liam and Maddie who are sitting on the sofa with a _very_ livid Brynjar, "I need to know just how the Crown of Anathema works."

"I'll be damned; you really _do_ share memories now."

I walk over to the still-familiar bar and pour myself a glass of whiskey, "That and thoughts, and feelings, and –"

"Jasper's empathy. You're feeling our emotions through him, Rory," Edward says softly, and I know why without having to delve too deeply into his feelings; never thought the sour and dour Professor X would ever feel anything beyond brotherly love for me.

I'm not too worried about it; I can also feel the connection between him and Madeline Mercier fairly clearly now. I share a knowing look with Jasper; she really did fall in love with a bloodsucker.

"Well….shit. Superpowers abound, apparently," it is _super_ weird having a sudden case of pathokenesis by proxy, "so, that's what _this_ does? What _is_ it?" I gesture at the mark on my face.

"Venom and ink; what a bitch to mix," Liam starts in, looking over his work, "and that diagram in the book only explained so much. I'm surprised it worked at all."

"Yeah, I could've told you that. What does it _do?_ What did the book say? _"_ I implore impatiently, sipping at my drink as I glare at his drawn out explanation.

"From what I translated it started in ancient Greece and morphed from there. It binds the soul of a hunter to their chosen host, in this case –"

"In this case your piece of shit boyfriend. Rory, do you realize that now you are, by definition, 'Dedicated to something evil and thus accursed?' That's alright with you? _Christ on a fucking cross_ , you have the _worst_ taste in men." Brynjar looks close to losing his mind as he crosses the room to me, putting himself slightly closer to me than Jasper; he's _begging_ for a fight.

"Whoa, take it down a notch Bryn," I feel Jazz's shame and rage like a punch in the gut, "it did save my life."

"Yeah, and now you get to spend _forever_ sharing two minds with three people," he pulls roughly at his braided blond beard, "goddamn it, this means there'll be a wedding, right? I'm going to kill him." At the mention of a wedding I hide my blush with the burn of whiskey.

"You can certainly try, _Skal._ " Jasper says lowly, dangerously.

"I wouldn't have to try to kick your ass; maybe I should take _your_ fingers, see how _you_ like it."

"He wouldn't – it sucks, trust me. Lay _off,_ Brynjar," I look up into his usually red eyes, now slowly turning topaz, "we've got bigger problems to worry about Jazz and I screwing."

 _Bad_ choice of words; the statement is barely out of my mouth before Bryn flies off the handle.

" _She just woke up from the dead and you thought it'd be a good idea to…to sleep with her? Are you out of your fucking mind!?"_

"Ok, if only to interrupt this _lovely_ reunion, I have an announcement," I put myself between the two men, exasperated they can't get along for two damn seconds, "I'm going to finish off the Mexican coven, then I'm going after the Volturi, and _then_ I'm marking up before going after John; I'm going to need a river of blood and venom to do it. No more living some fantasy world where violence is nearly non-existent, no more sitting back and waiting for something to happen – I'm starting a war, one that I'm going to win. And once I get what I want, we get to reform the occult world – or at least the vampire portion of it – something I think's been a long time coming."

That certainly shut everyone up.

" _What?_ " I spin towards the front door, where Peter and Charlotte are just entering; from the way their eyes glow red I guess they just got back from a hunt.

"Oh, hey guys. Thanks for telling Liam about my…less than stellar plan and saving my ass."

"To what end Rory? Why do this?" Carlisle doesn't give them a moment to answer; he's confused at my motives.

"It's my job Doc; Maria deserves to die and I need to finish the job I fucked up. The Volturi have ruled for centuries upon centuries; _fuck that._ They're tyrannical, they're corrupt, and they're doing a piss poor job at keeping anything in check. We could do it; _you_ could do it, Carlisle."

"We don't have the resources…A coven this small could never – "

"Small? We've got seven vampires – eight if Bryn can stop being a dick, two hunters, maybe a healer _and_ an alchemist…We'll need allies...I could call a truce with the wolves." I turn my attention back to Pete and Charlie, "You two in?"

The petite woman looks up at her husband, who nods gravely, "If Jasper has your back then so do we Rory."

I grin excitedly, "We've got a lot of shit to do and not a lot of time to do it in; let's make every second count, ladies and gentleman. Here's the deal –"

So, to re-cap, I've got to deal with: my brother hating my beyond soul mate's guts, Alice and Swan's weird tension and broken relationship, figuring out what _exactly_ the mysterious mark on my head and face is capable of, all while trying to wage a war.

Craziness, as usual; but it's like they say – no rest for the wicked. I'm itching to start a revolution, and I aim to win.


	2. Chapter 2

Beginning

"I still don't know about this, Amory. The Volturi have –"

"Oh, here we go!" I perch myself on the edge of the chair Jazz is sitting in and clap my hands in mock glee, "Tell me everything they've done that's been so goddamn beneficial, the things they've just done so _well_ that you need to keep them around. Please, give me an insight I don't have."

The room is silent, "Exactly. Short of doing the bare minimum of their job they've done abso-fucking-lutely nothing good. When I was high, when I wasn't living _forever_ with my family at their 'mercy', things were different. Now? I refuse to live in a world where they run the show for one more second. I know the depravity they're capable of, and I won't fucking stand for it _._ For once I can use what I am for good – after the whole making a mountain of dead bodies bit. I know you feel the same way I do Doc, and I know there are others out there that would back us, given the chance."

Madeline interjects, brows furrowed in thought, "So you're saying we're going to take over operations the Volturi usually oversee once they're…disposed of?"

"You're staying Witchie?"

"Rory, stay on topic." Her attention shifts from me just long enough to give me a hint of what she's thinking.

I look over at the Professor before locking eyes with her again, "I see how it is."

She flushes ten shades of scarlet before puffing her cheeks out at me, "You're just ridiculous. _Focus._ "

"To answer your question," I rummage through Liam's duffle bag until I find a beat up pack of smokes – Lucky Strike's – and pop one behind my ear, "I don't care how we decide who does what so long as three crazy guys aren't ruling things for centuries. How about every so often everyone makes sure no one's gone insane to the point of saying 'mwhaha' and wearing silly robes? I like the idea of us doing it, but I'm biased."

Everyone is obviously weighing the odds in their heads, the pros and cons, and Liam is the first to break the silence.

"We'll have a couple of hunters soon, that'll give us an edge – they were likely banking on Isabella wanting to take the easy route to immortality."

Said young woman looks from Liam to me with hopeful doe eyes.

"I'm ready?"

"In a couple weeks you'll _have_ to be ready. We have to do this soon, before we get any unwelcome visitors."

"No!" Seems like Al's finally had enough, because she gets right up in my face, "I don't care _what_ you've got planned, Rory. You can't do this!"

"What do you suggest we do? If we do nothing she'll be torn apart by our enemies when they come, or maybe one of them will bite her and you'll get all your little heart desires. Alice, this is her decision to make."

Swan looks at her pixie with love dulled by still lingering pain; the girl wants to give in, I can feel it, but she also wants Al to accept her choice.

"I'm going to do it – I didn't go through all those beatings for nothi-"

She's interrupted by a blur of white that slams me off my feet and to the floor. Alice stares down at me with a glare that'd scare the devil.

"Amory, touch her again and you'll have more than Maria and the Volturi to deal with."

"Alice, keep making an ass out of yourself and I'll be _more_ than happy to deal with _you_."

A few days ago the pixie would have already killed me with her first move. Today the only reason she managed to take me off my feet was pure surprise. She knows she's wrong; her cold topaz eyes soften minutely before she's back on her feet. I'm up just as quickly, but not nearly as gracefully. She storms out of the room, at odds with a future she doesn't want.

I watch her retreating figure with a frown but try to keep things moving, "Back in actual news, tomorrow we have to go to La Push –"

"No. _No."_

" – and we have to tell the shape shifters I'm immortal, Swan's going to be a hunter, and it's basically going to be Christmas for the wolves." Jasper's objection is gentler than Al's had been, but no less absolute.

"I _can't_ let you go over that border," he grabs my hand, "I…won't be able to let you, not without starting _another_ war."

"La Push is where the wolves are, right?" Liam queries, "Can't they just come to Forks, to Isabella's or Rory's house?"

"Yeah, maybe…I'll call Billy, see if he and Harry can – "

"Harry had a heart attack while you were out," Swan interrupts softly, "he…his funeral is Sunday."

"Oh. Fuck," I run my fingers over my stubbly scalp; I'd really liked Harry Clearwater, and with him gone I have a feeling all that stands between Uley and a feud with the Cullen's is Billy Black, "we _really_ need to get over there soon. How are his kids?"

"About as well as you'd expect," she crosses her arms with a frown, "not to mention they're blaming themselves according to Jacob."

"Blaming themselves how?"

"It was during their first transformation –"

"They're _wolves?_ Seth and Leah? _"_ I'd told Swan about the shape shifters during those months we spent in each other's company; or at least the general idea. I didn't think things would be _this_ different in such a short amount of time

"Jacob too."

"Christ, I was hoping things just went sideways for _me_. Well, at least now they'll have a fighti –"

"They're just children, Amory," Carlisle says crossly, "you can't throw them at Maria _or_ the Volturi."

"You go to war with the army you have, Doc – I'm not going to force anyone into this. Hopefully by the time we fight we have an actual _plan_ plan, but backup is nice to have. Swan, call Jacob tomorrow and see if he can get Uley and meet me at my house with whatever pack there is, his father included. Warn them that Jazz will be there –"

"And so will I," Bryn says, finally sounding like he's back to his old still highly irritable self.

"Hey Bryn?" He inclines his head towards me before I turn to head out to the porch; my lips curve into an overly amused grin and before the words come out of my mouth I can feel how badly Jazz wants to just take me home and –

"You're gonna want to knock first."

* * *

Peter and Charlotte join Jazz and I on the porch, and the woman is positively beaming as she looks between the two of us. Don't need to be an emotion reader to know she's ecstatic to see the man who enabled her and her mate to escape all those years ago truly happy.

"We'll start contacting whoever we can – whoever we think is safe – and get them into contact with you."

"Do you really have a plan here Rory? Or is this a repeat of Mexico?" The tall darker haired man looks both impressed and incredulous.

I light up my cigarette with a smirk, "Considering I went in and blew a ton of shit up, that's not such a terrible idea. I've got…outlines. I know I've been kind of an idiot up until now – now too, actually – but trust me on this."

The blonde woman nods with a frown, "Sorry we can't stay longer, but…"

"All the blood, got it," I say understandingly, "I feel like we always meet under crazy circumstances. Maybe next time will be better – third times the charm, right?"

Pete and Charlie look at each other fondly before giving Jazz a really odd glance.

"If Jasper can grow a pair –"

"I think you're right, Rory," Charlotte interrupts her husband and they walk to the bottom of the stairs, "and soon. We'll be in touch."

"Charlie, Pete, take care of yourselves – get back here if things get fucked. No dying."

"You do realize you're starting a _war,_ right? They usually involve dying." I shrug at Peter's words.

"Not if I can help it." After what I've been through, all this seems pretty simple, and if that book has half of what it's supposed to have it in things will be cake.

Jasper says goodbye to his old brother-in-arms, a bond that from the looks of things was never tarnished by time. Being able to feel both of their emotions has me not only melancholy at their departure, but also has me thinking about the situation with Alice; I don't want this animosity between us. I want her and Swan to work, and I need her friendship back.

Taking out the Volturi will be easier.

I'm pulled from my reverie by Peter's voice; he's looking up at us with a grin, "Don't go kicking everyone's ass without us."

"Hurry back and you won't have to worry," I say as Jasper wraps an arm around my shoulders.

With their departure our plan is finally in motion. The cigarette I'm smoking trembles between my fingertips as I put it to my mouth. All the excitement is getting to me; I need the book _now._ I snuff the smoke in the nearby ashtray – still in place from months ago or put there recently I can't be sure – and walk back into the house hand and hand with Jazz.

Liam and Bryn look like they're about to head out, and Maddie looks like she's _supposed_ to be going with them. Instead she's talking quietly with Ed, shuffling through her bag and occasionally blushing. Each time she _does_ blush she cringes. It's hilarious to watch her try to _not_ be attracted to him – did I look this ridiculous?

' _It was cute._ '

Ugh, that's even worse.

"Where you guys headed?"

"Well if Witchie here –"

"That's not my name you know!"

"If _Miss Mercier_ would like to stay, she's more than welcome to," Bryn rephrases, folding his arms across his broad chest.

"He really _is_ insufferable," she says aside to me before facing my old friend with her usual matter-of-fact attitude, "No wonder your alone; I pity the woman who falls in love with you, Brynjar – it'll have to be against her own will, a miracle, something like that."

"Seriously," I nod in agreement and Bryn, finally tired of being teased, leaves with Liam for the garage.

Maddie looks from the hallway that leads to her ride to the Professor and back a few times. With a less than pleased groan she thrusts the book of ancient marks into my arms and waves ever so awkwardly to the object of her affections.

"S-see you later, Edward," she nearly trips over her own feet as she takes a few steps away from him, and he catches her arm before chuckling and walking her out the door.

"I'll walk you out Madeline."

As soon as the pair is out the door Esme starts babbling, "You found that girl in a cell? It's a good thing she's here; I've never seen Edward like this before – he's been smiling since they got here. It's been..."

"So adorable it's sickening? I'm glad it worked out; I gave her a chance to go back to her mostly normal slightly magical life before we went to Italy…she turned me down."

"She's crazy too? You know how to pick 'em Ink," Colossus says with a wink.

"Most definitely." The conversation drops off for just long enough for me to catch Jazz looking at me out of the corner of my eye.I don't know how or why, but I'm suddenly very aware he's hiding something from me. There's a part of his thoughts he's actively blocking me from, and he knows I know as soon as I try to pry them open.

Not fair.

* * *

Jasper pulls my back against his naked frame hours later as I toss in bed for what seems like the millionth time. As always the cool chill of his flesh on mine stifles the heat of my marks and feels divine…but there's just so much buzzing around my mind. Tomorrows potential meeting, how I'm going to deal with Swan and Al, not to mention that feeling from earlier is nagging at the back of my mind and not even his touch can erase it.

"You're hiding something." I decide to address the one that matters in the moment.

His hand pauses as it runs up my side; he props himself up on his elbow and bends down to give me a small kiss, "I am."

I take a deep breath – at least he's not trying to deny it, not that he'd be able to convince me, but goddamn do I wish he'd just let me completely in.

"I know it's not anything bad," I turn to face him, my eyes darting to his chest as I run the tips of my fingers over his numerous scars, "it's just infuriating; I can't hide anything from you. I thought it would take some adjusting knowing all your thoughts, but it's harder knowing I don't know everything you're thinking. Mind-reading blows my fucking mind."

"I'll give you something else to think about," he smirks and bends down to nip softly at my neck.

…Ok, I guess whatever is in his mind can't be _that_ important, I can look through that book tomorrow, and screw finding out what I can do with my new stamina; there's only one thing I _want_ to do with it. If we keep this up someone else is going to have to plan the fine details of this war.

We'll be too busy.

* * *

(A/N: Almost a week of not updating?! I'm terrible. Thanks so much for the support guys, you're awesome!


	3. Chapter 3

Spreading the News

 **Spike In Missing Persons! Seattle On Alert!**

 _In a string of recent and sudden disappearances, this brings the total missing persons count up to two hundred and twenty-six in Seattle. Officials are speculating these disappearances may be related to the recent cases in the Southern and Western United States; San Antonio, El Paso, Tucson, Salt Lake City and Portland have also experienced this unfortunate spike in missing citizens. The numbers taken from the police departments of these cities estimate about fifty percent of their recent missing person cases are connected. Between one hundred and and one hundred and fifty people seem to have just disappeared from the streets in each city; most of the victims seem to be homeless, and due to poor records we can only speculate that the numbers are accurate._

I stop reading the paper and down my piping hot cup of coffee – the burn in my throat it causes is healed almost instantaneously. I slide the paper over the kitchen table to Jasper and tap the headline with my bum hand.

"Maria's gearing up for something; shit like this just doesn't happen. If this is right she's got numbers I wasn't expecting. Even if some of these people were just food, the count is still high. This might be…messy."

He looks grave while he speed reads the passage, "We don't have a lot of time Kitten. If she's got an army again…she knows what she's doing with it. What do you want to do?"

"It's pointless to decide without knowing whether or not the wolves will lay a stake in this," I talk as I cross the room, placing my coffee cup in the sink before returning to the table, behind Jazz's chair; I encircle my arms around his neck as I peer at the paper again over his shoulder, "but if it was just you and I you know what I'd do; hunt them down in Seattle, maybe lure them into the woods. If she's got that many newborns we need to keep them away from the human population."

With my brain a million miles away steeped in this new news come to light I nearly jump out of my skin when there's a sharp rap on my front door.

Shit, it's eight already – didn't I wake up at five?

"You did wake up at five…but we've been in bed for a while."

As Jasper speaks in that sexy slight southern drawl, I realize our state of undress – I'm 'dressed' in a short robe with a _severe_ lack of clothing underneath and Jasper is still _wonderfully, amazingly_ half-naked. There's another knock and it's a mad scramble at super-speed to get our clothes on and back to the front door. When I swing it open Bryn looks a little happier than yesterday; good thing too, I was seriously considering kicking his ass.

"How long does it take to open a fucking door around here?" He scowls – I said he was a _little_ happier – begins moving through the room; no doubt checking out how I used the money he'd given me months before. He moves past us into the living room and reveals that Swan was standing behind him on the porch.

"It's my house, I'll take as long as I damn well please," I snort and stare him down. His eyes flicker to Jasper before he rolls them dramatically.

"And it looks like you've got your crazy boyfriend living here too; perfect."

Jasper looks down at me in slight alarm. All of a sudden he does that damnable thought blocking from me again. With a distinct feeling I almost got close to whatever he's keeping from me, I fold my arms over my chest and fix him with an acerbic glare.

' _You know you'll have to tell me_ eventually _right? We're kind of stuck together for eternity.'_

That last statement makes him grin.

"I called the pack after we decided on the time; they refused to meet with the vampires present," Swan's already parked herself at the kitchen table, "Well…Sam refused. A few of them –Jacob, maybe even Leah and Seth – want to hear your side. But we have to go to La Push to do it."

"Oh, great, I got to witness _this_ for nothing," Bryn snorts.

"I'm going," Jazz says at the same time, serious and absolute.

"Yeah, because if they aren't pissed off enough now that's sure to smooth things over; you can't come and I have to go." Hah, I'll teach him to keep secrets from _me._

He tries his hardest to get me to change my mind through our connection, but it's not doing a damn thi-

' _Let's just go back to bed; someone else can go see the mutts.'_ He grins cheekily, darkened golden eyes shining in assumed triumph.

"Not this time. I've got things to do, people to see, whatever. _You_ need to go hunting – take Bryn, bond or something," I think about my life if those two ever _do_ get along, "never mind, no bonding; go hunt." I'd never get a moments peace again.

He looks pretty stunned that I'm not putty in his hands – not surprising considering that 'let's just go have sex' trick has worked every other time he's used it. With this one-sided connection he could overpower me to make me bend to his will, and for the most fleeting moment I feel his mind as two again. I can almost _see_ the Major smirking darkly, toying with the ever tempting idea…

But he knows how important this is; Jasper relents, though he's unhappy with the idea of being separated after all that's happened. It'll be the first time since I woke up that we'll be apart, and I'm curious as to how we're going to handle it.

"Shouldn't we make sure your marks work first? What if they don't like the news you've got for them?"

"You know damn well they work or we wouldn't be able to –"

"Alright! Too much information, you should go," Bryn stops me before I can go any further with my story and nods from Jazz to the door, "we've got to go too, you crazy bastard."

He narrows his eyes at the Viking, displeased at his inability to change the burly man's opinion of him. My brother figure has always been more impressed with actions than words; if this war progresses as it seems to be, Jazz will have plenty of time to prove himself.

For now, I swipe the newspaper off my coffee table and follow the other three out the door. Before I climb up into the cab of Swan's truck – mine is somewhere in Mexico still, probably baking under the sun outside of a burnt out villa – I'm pulled against my mate's stony chest; he's near panic at the thought of me crossing the border, and I push all the calm I can muster through our connection.

"I'll be back before you know it," I reassure as I lean up to plant a lingering kiss on his lips, "I promise not to lose any more body parts, too."

I'd laugh at the look of horror on his face if I couldn't feel how damn enraged and shamed my disfigured hand makes him – not the missing digits themselves, but the evidence of Maria's cruelty and the ability to relive the torture through my own thoughts.

"Kitten, you better, or we'll have a lot more to deal with than we already do."

Here's hoping things don't go straight to shit for once.

* * *

Let's hope I never have to be away from Jasper for a long period of time any time soon – I can't hear his thoughts, not this far out, but I can still feel his emotions; he's probably near the border hunting and I can tell he's trying to keep tabs on what's going on here at the same time. It's like being away for _years_ though; all heartache and homesickness.

The things I'll do to him when we get back home…

Home? What about what Bryn said earlier; _are_ we living together? What _is_ going on with us now? Why do I pick super inappropriate times to think about this kind of crap?

Thankfully I'm startled out of my thoughts by a weird sight – when Swan drives up to Billy Black's house it looks like most of the pack is assembled outside, standing around half-clothed. I get it; I get hot too with all this venom and foreign blood running through my body, but seriously? The truck door slams shut as the young woman gets out and I reluctantly follow suit, and wish I was anywhere but about to possibly start another conflict.

"That's a crazy tattoo," I hear one of the younger ones whisper, and I land my eyes on a teen with messy brown hair looking at my new ink.

"You don't know the half of it, kid," my eyes land on the leader of the pack, who looks as displeased by me as he ever has, "and you're about to."

He leads the way into the Black house without a word, and as Swan and I enter two other members follow us in. I feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise in anticipation; I don't expect them to jump us, but I don't expect them to take our news _well._ I hope they do, but I'm not betting on it.

"Amory, you look good as new," Billy Black says as we walk into the living room. He looks like he's aged ten years since I last saw him. Knowing his son can phase must have put a lot of stress on him.

"Hello Bella," he says a bit more fondly, "how's your dad?"

"Charlie's good, Billy. Look, we –"

In my clutched hand is the newspaper from earlier; I unfold it and hold it out to the aged man. Halfway through the article his face darkens, and Uley starts to read over his shoulder.

"What's going on here, Belmont?" The pack alpha glares at me, but I don't give a damn about how intimidating he looks.

"I…" deciding that there is no better or more delicate way to break the news, I shrug, "I'm immortal."

He's in front of me in a second, his cohorts flank me, and it takes all the control I have to stop the spike in my anxiety from reaching Jazz. If he feels I'm gearing up for a fight, he'll cross the border – and I think everyone is already angry enough.

"The treaty –"

"Call off your _dogs_. I'm not a vampire; hunter, remember? No one turned me," I was bitten, technically, but does it count if it's just a sexual thing? Not that I care either way, I just don't think that's what they meant with the whole tre-

" _How?_ " Uley shakes with rage and his eyes are as black as coal as they bore a hole through me – he shows no intention of stopping his friends. I know from his body language that if the next words out of my mouth aren't fucking brilliant he's going to make a move.

"It's a long story, but basically this new tattoo…bound my soul to Jasper Hale's. Considering my alternative was _dying_ , I hope you can understand why it had to happen. And speaking of new tattoos," I cast a glance at Swan, "Bella here has decided to become a hunter." Break all the bad stuff at once, why not? Sometimes I have about as much tact as Colossus.

Billy looks at the young woman sadly, "What about Charlie? What about school and –"

"Look, I'm not giving up on anything," Swan asserts, head held up and defiance shining clearly in her eyes, "and now that I'm part of _this_ , I should be able to defend myself, don't you think?"

"I'm not stopping her; I didn't get the chance and I don't want her dropping out and regretting it. As far as the Chief goes…I hate to say it, but we've got to tell him what's going on. Not right away, but soon. _I'm_ more surprised he hasn't figured this all out yet. It's goddamn ridiculous, isn't he supposed to be chief of police?"

"Amory, you do realize Harry's funeral is tomorrow? You chose _today_ to tell us all this?" At Billy's words all of my humor is forgotten. I look to the wood surface of the front door; Leah and Seth had been absent outside and of course I know why.

I throw my hands up in the air, "It's shitty I know! What else was I going to do, wait to tell you this? There is no _waiting;_ there's a war about to start and I need to know if you're in or out. That newspaper is damn near the only proof I need to see to know there's an army on the way."

"An army? Fuck," Uley swears under his breath and looks to the two young men still towering beside me before they all step just a few paces away, "why are they after you? Are they headed here?"

"I _might_ have gone to Mexico to blow up a bloodsucker lair only to be captured, killed, and brought back from the dead. The leader, Maria, must know I'm alive because she's gone bat-shit and started an army. _Another_ army; it's kind of what she does. I think they'll be here in a few weeks, maybe sooner.

"Now that I'm saying it all at once, it sounds really crazy." It does. My life is fucking insane, and I –

' _We've got a problem,'_ Jasper's voice is faint in my head, almost taking on a static quality, _'Victoria is back.'_

' _Who?'_ I'll worry about why I can suddenly hear him in my head again this far out later.

' _Red.'_

Shit. I take one look at Swan and she knows something is going on – thank god she's got more in her head these days than vapid fantasies, "Maria?"

"No, but possibly related; I need to stop pissing people off. We've got to go, if she's –"

"She?" Uley questions, and I'm about done with answering every inane thing.

"Some problem I should have ashed a long fucking time ago. Look, either decide to stay in La Push and let us deal with this or get over this whole 'no alliance with vampires' thing quick, because there is some shit coming to Forks that will tear you inexperienced _kids_ limb from limb and not bat a goddamn eye about it if you decide to fight alone."

Maybe I'm past 'about done.' Every second I spend here without an answer is wasted time, another casualty because of this indecision.

'S _he's going to cross the border!'_

"You've got a vampire – one that doesn't give a goddamn about any treaty – on your doorstep. What are you _dogs_ going to do? You in or out?"

"…Lead the way." He grits his teeth when he says it, spitting the words out as his eyes narrow further into an acid glare.

Swan looks like she's ready for a fight, so I stop that real quick, "You're staying here until I come back to get you, alright? Until we know what's going on, you're the most…delicate."

"We've got to mark me, Rory," she looks at me seriously, "I can't be a burden anymore."

"I didn't mean it like that, but I do agree; we'll talk about it later, on the way back to Forks, alright?"

Without waiting for an answer I wave to her and Billy and stalk out of the Black house with the three men on my heels. In open air again, I let the compounds of my marks soak my blood then tear through the forest.

I bare my teeth wickedly as branches whip at my face and body as a sick sense of excitement grips me; Red's finally gonna burn.

* * *

(A/N: So I've been distracted, but here we are again. I'm struggling with whether or not I'll be including one last _romantic_ pairing, but as soon as I decide the next chapter will be up; promise I won't take too long! Thoughts anyone? Thank you all so much for the positive encouragement and taking the time to read this story! You're lovely!)


	4. Chapter 4

New Blood/New Ink

* * *

It takes all of a minute to reach the borderline; the usually calming lush green forest does nothing to soothe my racing thoughts. I'm flanked by wolves on all sides – it's new and _very_ weird and Jasper is going to throw a fit; if I could stop focusing on how exuberant I am the closer I get back to him I'd laugh at the mental image of him pouting. What does break my focus is another pair of wolves, one slightly gangly with variations of sandy brown fur and another far smaller wolf, light grey and impossibly quick, as they join our mad dash. The latter tears ahead through the forest with me close behind; I'm working with all of my marks at once, and we're both blurs obscured by leaves and bark.

A thrill runs through my body, all pleasure and contentment, as we break into a small clearing. It's another instant assimilation of thoughts, though this one doesn't take days of me being passed out. In less than a second Jazz is all caught up on what happened during the last hour. This all happens before he fully turns to look at me; when he does the first thing I notice is his bright smile – megawatt and instantly infectious. Then I notice how light his eyes are from hunting, almost the color of champagne…but there's an undeniable red tinge to them, just around the pupil. Hopefully I'm the only one that notices; I take a deep breath of the woodland air to clear my head – not to prepare myself for the repercussions we might face because Jasper has been sampling a little of my blood, but because of the wild desire it stirs in the pit of my stomach. There's something _really_ wrong with me if the thought of my vampire boyfriend drinking my blood gets me all hot and bothered, but it's just too damn good. _He's_ too damn good.

His smile morphs into a smirk, and I flush scarlet. He's paying attention to my thoughts closely, the cheeky fuck.

As I exhale I concentrate on the scents of the forest; I detect a few underlying aromas that don't belong. Cheap perfume, maybe not the same Red used to wear a year ago, but close enough. Filthy, musty clothing – ancient and unwashed and covering dirty stone skin…it's not just Victoria I smell on the wind.

" _Frenchie._ " I say the name as a snarl, teeth snapping as I speak, "I _knew_ I should have killed him – damn it, _this_ is what we get for being mercif-"

There's a low growl from somewhere behind me, and it's not one of the larger wolves now filing into the clearing with bared teeth and bad attitudes. When I turn my head to tell Leah now's not the time, her dark eyes shift from Jasper to Brynjar.

When they land on the tall Viking her stance shifts and the small grey wolf moves forward as if mesmerized; he's not hard on the eyes, Bryn, just on the nerves. He's basically Thor in the flesh, with a _super_ ridiculous beard. He's about the same height as Jazz – tall as hell – and definitely more bulky; he _was_ a Viking back in the day, swinging axes, the whole thing.

At first, I'm pretty sure she's just pissed about there being _another_ vampire…but of course it's so much worse than that.

She looks at him like I look at Jasper, like anyone who shares a soul stares at their other half. Whatever tied her to this Earth before is shifting in front of all of us; awe is etched into her canine features, and Bryn's blue contact clad eyes soften from a glare to a look of curiosity the longer their staring match continues. Whether or not it's a happy moment for the pair, Sam Uley puts a stop to it by tearing her away by the throat.

Leah Clearwater just imprinted on a vampire, and it seems the pack Alpha is less happy than any of us could have guessed. It might be his blood demanding such a savage response, or just his own hatred for the vampires and their cohorts, but he clearly wants her out of the pack. Leah's apparently not very happy with the pack Alpha, and she's fighting him tooth and nail.

It's just as much of a shit show surrounding the duo as it is watching them; Jasper is barely holding back a now livid Bryn, Leah and Sam are a snarling, biting mess on the mossy ground; the other wolves watch, pacing and leering with the occasional growl or howl – all except for Seth, who sits next to me and watches silently with furious and compassionate eyes. It's hard to witness, but this is an internal power struggle; we can't interfere or we risk breaking the treaty, or turning this pissing match into something far more lethal. It's a poor consolation as we watch the larger wolf bat around a girl who just lost her father. It seems Uley is enraged to the point of being completely lost to his bestial nature.

Leah finally manages to shake the larger wolf off, and I'm thankful that shape-shifter blood doesn't do anything for vampires – she's got one hell of a bite mark on her left shoulder. When the first drop of blood lands on the mossy ground there's a subtle shift in the air, a brief moment of pure tension that seems to dissolve before Leah roars into her assailants face. The sound echoes powerfully through the trees, seems to almost bend nature itself to the small wolfs will.

I used to hear stories about this, a long time ago when I was still under the harsh tutelage of a hunter, though I imagine it's different with each group of shape shifters. She's breaking from the pack connection to form her own, and from the looks of how her brother Seth is standing proudly beside her, across from Uley and the other members of the pack, on our side, I'd say he's with her too. Leah looks battered, but even so there's a strength surrounding her that's undeniable.

After all, I'm _pretty_ sure she just became the Alpha of her own pack.

Uley stares her down with blazing black eyes hardened into a vicious stare which he then turns on me. I get everything he's trying to say in that stare; go fuck yourselves and good luck with that war. Frankly, even if this puts us at a slight disadvantage, I'm over the fucking moon about not having to work with him; I'm enough of a hothead for one army. He disappears back into the woods and the rest of the pack follows, save the two Clearwater wolves now looking morosely at each other.

I don't have the chance to make an inappropriate comment on what just transpired; our lives are once again thrown into chaos with the shifting of the wind.

Jazz and I both go shock still as the air is suddenly laden with the intoxicating scent of blood, sweet and viscous and –

"I'm sorry," he looks at me with baleful eyes, gold and red and ashamed, "I can't…her blood is _everywhere,_ Rory."

"How far?" I choose to ignore his sorry for the moment; I know he doesn't like the fact I can feel his bloodlust as clearly as he can. Right now, I could give two fucks about that; I'll focus on _that_ later when things aren't falling apart.

"Back the other way," Bryn supplies, breathing just enough to track the teen, motioning with his arm at the Quileute land, "we can't go with you, not unless you want another war."

My hand is suddenly nudged by something wet, something that gives way to warm coarse fur. Seth looks up at me and then towards Leah and nods towards the forest impatiently. Despite our need to process Leah's imprinting and the dawn of a new pack in Washington, everyone is on high alert. Swan is behind the borderline, bleeding, possibly poisoned and turning as we speak. How is it that I died and she _still_ has less luck?

* * *

Jazz and Bryn accompany the wolves and I to the borderline where they grind to a halt; it's probably for the best – I can smell Swan's blood through the connection I share with Jasper, and it's too strong for me to focus on anything else. Whatever's happened, whoever perpetrated the assault, Swan is at this moment most assuredly dying. The Clearwater siblings dive ahead through the foliage as I stop and throw a look over my shoulder.

"Find Al, Liam, Doc, and Maddie and get them to the Cullen's. We've don't have a lot of time," my mate knows exactly what I'm talking about; if I get to Swan in time, even if she is bitten, if I can give her the first mark before she turns we'll at least be able to save her life, for the time being. It _has_ to be enough to stop the change. Hopefully – it's not like I've ever been faced with this situation before and –

' _We'll save her, Amory;_ you'll _save her.'_

Choking back my panic I hold on to his encouraging thoughts, now fading as I cross the borderline, and dash through the woods towards the smell of blood. Even without feeling Jasper's thirst, now that we're getting closer to ground zero I can smell the copper underlying the soft earth and pine, tainting the still and chill air with fear; my own and I'm sure Swan's.

There's no need to wonder what she's thinking laying on the forest floor bleeding out – I don't have to be Ed or piggybacking on Jaspers empathy to know. I've been there – bitter defeat mocking that you'll never finish the things that desperately needed to be righted. Come hell or high water I'll bring her back, alive – shit, at this point even her becoming a vampire isn't the worst idea. Somewhere along the way she wormed her sarcastic, mousey little way into my heart; now I'm throwing the morality about letting someone become a vampire out the window in order to keep my friend. It's not until I feel the wind hit the tears now pouring down my cheeks that she's so much more than that – whatever I thought of her before our period of desolation together is in the past. The teenager I met when I first got here changed drastically; she was strong enough to ask me to put her through hell and strong enough to stand her ground when the doubt set in. I've never had a partner, not as a hunter, but this…she's my partner, she has potential to be my equal. No, more than that; she's a part of the new family I've constructed and nearly lost in the past year and a half. My sister – in this and our _awful_ taste in romantic partners.

I almost smile at that until I break through the green curtain of pine needles and find myself in a small clearing painted crimson. Leah and Seth are waiting for me by what could be mistaken as a pile of clothes dipped in red paint. Only, there's the tell-tale rise and fall of faint life.

Isabella Swan is breathing, barely and not for long. I rush to her side to survey the damage; it's extensive.

But it's not the work of a vampire.

No bite marks, no scratch marks…Her torso looks shredded and there are cuts marking her entire body. The wounds covering her are similar in pattern to what a combat knife would leave, and there appears to be blunt force trauma from a few hard hits, most prevalent around her face. Half lidded brown eyes, already swelling, dull and dark and surrounded by bruising ghost-white skin shift from being unfocused on the tree-tops to my face as I hover over her.

"Bella! Bella," I move one of her hands from over her abdomen to see just how deeply the cuts go and regret the action when I see more gore ooze forth, "fuck! We don't have time for a hospital. Bella, I'm taking you home, you –"

"Rory," her voice reminds me of the last time I found her like this, after we'd been left, when everything was falling apart…it feels like that's happening all over again when I hear the hoarse whisper. I wave her words away impatiently, aware I'm sobbing desperately as I press my shaking hands to the worst of the wounds to staunch the bleeding. I almost contemplate screaming for Jazz in my head, treaty be damned; I can't doctor this type of wound alone, and moving her could be –

"Rory he…he's…"

Brought out of my racing thoughts by her weakened voice I flick my eyes up to meet hers. She brings the hand that hadn't been clutching her wounds closed to my field of vision, trembling in effort from the small action; caught in her fist is a piece of plain white paper. I can read the large black writing there as clearly as day, even without unfolding the entire note – I know the author too well to have to guess. Fighting back the urge to scream, to completely lose my fucking mind, I take Swan's prone body into my arms and book it back towards Forks. Right now staying here in the open may prove to be more deadly than the mess she's currently sporting. Far more deadly.

 _Amory…sloppy work with this one; I should have expected this from you, always such a soft-touch, but I_ had _hoped for_ more _. Didn't you learn anything from me? Weakness won't be tolerated – I'll be coming for the rest of that 'family' of yours next. I'll kill them, all of them, except that new leash of yours. I've got_ plans _for him_ and _for you._

 _You'll lose it all; you have to. I'll be the only one left, the only family you need…just like old times._

 _John_

That son of a bitch.

* * *

I'm soaked in vermillion by the time I make it back to the Cullen residence, and luckily Jasper heard me yelling in my head on the way here to get everyone who'll lose their shit over Swan's blood out of the house. I jump the stairs and tear the door complete off its hinges in my rush to get inside. The Doc is there, already grabbing the dying teen out of my arms and laying her on the bare dining room table for him and Maddie to look at.

As he starts to cut the remains of her shirt from her mangled torso, Liam and I start the preparations for marking Swan.

"She's dying – I'm surprised she's still hanging on," I know the news before it leaves Maddie's mouth.

"She's a hunter, of course she's still hanging on," I assert stiffly, taking out my old needle kit, stomach turning as the cherry wood handles flash as red as Swan's blood on the table, "the job's not done, not yet.

"We need to use the Crown, Liam. Walk me through it."

William crosses his arms over his chest and looks momentarily like he's going to refuse. I know why – I was born into this craziness, into this world of what's wrong versus what's less wrong. Swan's had barely more than a year to get this processed. Now she'll have eternity, forced on her by circumstance. His face finally softens, creases easing, before he runs a hand through his short graying hair.

"We'll need Alice's venom; she has to be present during the ritual –"

"With Swan bleeding out everywhere? That's the dumbest idea I've ever –"

"Jasper had to do it for you, Amory. If he kept his control…Well, I'm confident Alice can as well. What other choice is there?"

I look at the girl lying on the table, chest barely rising and falling as Madeline tries her best to staunch the flow of blood from her wounds, "Worst case scenario Al bites her, she becomes a vampire, and hates us for forever, right? No biggie."

Only that isn't the worst case; if I lose her here, lose her because John –

With a hitch in my breath I stop that thought dead in its tracks. I can't think about that now, can't think about how I'm almost positive he's known where I've been this whole time, but now that I'm not dying he want's what's his back. A shudder wracks my body before I bury it under fury.

"Well godddamnit ."

' _Jazz, we need Alice! Now!'_

There's the briefest of pauses before I hear his slightly panicked voice in my head, ' _She's on her way; what's going on?'_

' _What always goes on in Forks; bullshit.'_

"Here we go Swan, let's give you a mark." As I look through the book of old tattoos, putting all of my focus into the sharp lines and soft shading, I talk softly to my young friend, "Which one though? We should have picked this out months ago, _fu-_ "

"Bella," Alice's voice from the front door is soft and shaky; it's obvious by the strain in her voice she's not breathing at all and in complete shock, "oh God."

My eyes meet hers for the briefest of moment; my heart aches for my now estranged pixie friend, but there's no time to waste in being nice, "Al, I know this isn't what you want, but I need your help _now._ "

She nods, her sad eyes landing once again on the woman on the table. Regret shines brightly in them, but she starts to prepare for the ritual with Liam and I get to work on Swan's tattoo.

I don't have time to make it quite as large as mine, which is good because she's got precious little blood left. Refusing to have John be any more party to this than he has I place the small stainless steel bowl the Doc offers and place it under Swan's thin and pale wrist.

"Are you sure about this Amory?" Carlisle asks as I reach up and take a scalpel.

"She was sure. That'll have to be good enough."

One quick slice and more blood dribbles from her wrist into the bowl under it; Alice looks at it with wide eyes and flared nostrils as it flows, and I catch her gaze briefly before I look back at the barely flowing blood. For this ritual, the blood needs to be from a fresh cut – I'm hoping she has enough left to make this count. The room goes quiet, the only sound being the labored breathing of our patient. I'm painfully aware of my shaking hands as I place the half full bowl on the table next to me and Carlisle swoops in to bandage the cut.

Alice looks pensive, morose, "I should have listened to her; I was so focused on the future I had seen that when she changed her mind I got scared, so scared. I…" Dark topaz eyes bright with heartache trace the form of the woman she loves, and I know exactly what she's thinking.

She can't lose her. _We_ can't lose her.

With some amount of distaste I turn the scalpel on myself and watch as my own ichor curves around my wrist and drizzles into the bowl. Not a lot – I watch my skin stitch itself back together, my healing drawing off Jasper's eternal life – and wonder if the reason John was able to find me is because of the small amount of his blood running through my veins. The sheer thought of it makes my skin crawl unpleasantly as I jab my needle into the bowl and hand it to Liam; he mixes our blood together, following a particular pattern. After a half circle here and there with some alchemical runes drawn in between, he hands the small bowl back. I raise the needle from the compound and make my first point of contact.

What should take me hours takes all of twenty minutes – most of the time I'm moving carefully at high speed, trying to balance the slight pressure I need to apply with the furious pace I'm trying to set. It's beautiful; instead of thick red bands of color like mine, delicate lines and runes run down her right arm, overlapping like scales, and meet at a point on the underside of her wrist. The very instant my needle strikes her flesh to make the last connection I feel it; it's nothing like the Crown of Anathema, but I can still _feel_ her become a hunter in some obscure way. The need to protect her I feel in that moment sends me reeling – how had John taken a feeling like this and turned it into something so dark, so wrong? I could never hurt her like he hurt me and the relief that hits me at both the first part at saving Swan and realizing I'm not a complete monster has my vision blurring with tears.

Liam takes the instruments from me and prepares for the next life-changing mark; the crown. I raise a brow at the pair of hair clippers that Maddie reappears with and choke back a macabre laugh.

"Oh, she's going to _love_ this," I glance at Al, "you're going to need to get a wig; the only girly thing Swan cares about is her hair."

The pixie looks glares at me before disappearing into the kitchen for just a moment; her venom is needed, and drooling in front of a room of people isn't really her style.

"Why _does_ she have to be here?" Curiosity finally gets the best of me; it seems a little excessive for her to have to be _present_ during her tattooing – not to mention _slightly_ dangerous. Swan might be immune to her venom now, but if Alice loses control…there's not a whole lot of blood left to drain.

"You know how powerful of a connection this forges," he says, taking the bowl from Alice and placing it underneath Swans tiny wrist – he opens another small cut, and I watch the pixie go still in the corner of the room, almost hidden behind Carlisle _just in case, "_ without the…host, so to speak, being present, it's just another tattoo. When you marked Bella, you felt _something_ , right? It's the same concept on a larger scale; the first mark wouldn't have worked if she'd done it herself."

He fully absorbs himself into mixing the two ingredients together, conversation forgotten; if Swan hadn't been made a hunter first the venom would have curdled her blood almost instantly. With another series of runes – some I recognize, some are so new he has to bend over the ancient leather-bound book of marks we got from the Volturi – Liam completes the mixture and hands me the concoction then holds the book in front of me. When I hesitate to raise the needle from the light red liquid, Madeline scoffs as she finishes buzzing off all of Swan's hair.

"Are you waiting for an invitation Rory? Save her!"

I take a moment to glare at Witchie before I steel myself; I start with Swan's face, occasionally consulting the book but mostly recalling the lines and dots from memory. It takes a bit longer than the first mark since I want to be careful with her face, but I still try to speed through it.

I'm only a few strokes away from facilitating her immortality before her chest goes still. Swan's dead on the Cullen's dining room table, but I keep going. Out of the corner of my eye I can see the telltale glow of Maddie's healing powers at work. It's a tense minute of not knowing whether or not we'll succeed, but Swan finally takes a shallow breath.

A second later I drive my needle under her skin one last time.

Alice lets out a shrill scream and cradles her head in her hands before sinking to the floor, breathing heavily despite having no need to. It's apparently much easier to assimilate thoughts when you're asleep, but vampires don't have that luxury. From Jasper's memories of _our_ joining, Alice is so far handling this much better than he did…there were more than a few things in this house that needed replacing after I was marked with the crown. Luckily, Swan's had a much more normal and happy life than I've had, but there are still memories that are hard to relive so vividly, things that take time to come to terms with.

"This is so _cool_ ," Maddie says dreamily, and I turn my attention back to Swan to see what's so cool about my bloodstained friend.

All the cut's marking her body are all slowly stitching themselves back together; watching it happen to myself is one thing, but this really _is_ cool. They're all healed in a half minute leaving behind a spider web of scars – another unfortunate reminder of John. The thought of my grandfather gets me more agitated by the moment – he _knows_ we're here, could come through the door at any moment…

"Let's get her cleaned up; we've got a lot to talk about and I'm sure everyone would like to come home," Maddie seems to be picking up the Professors mind reading skills, and I'm thankful it breaks up the group huddled around the table. Alice, still shaken and coming to terms with sharing thoughts with Swan, manages to stand next to me and grab the teens hand gently.

"Sorry it had to come to this, Al," the wariness I feel leaks through in my voice – right now I want nothing more than to wrap myself in the comfort of Jasper's arms – but there's still too much to do for me to feel tired, "I'll get her cleaned up."

The pixie doesn't look at me for a minute and I'm sure she's going to tell me she hates me, hates what I've done, but her face finally cracks into a smile – small and unsure, but still all Alice, "You're right – she's going to _hate_ us for ruining her hair…I'll take care of her, Rory. Go see Jasper."

I don't have to be told twice; I leave the house in nearly as much of a hurry as I entered with. I'll worry about replacing that damn door later.

Then the real problem hits me: How the _fuck_ are we gonna explain this to the Chief?

* * *

(A/N: So sorry it took me so long to update, but hey, life gets in the way; it should know that all I want to do is write, though! Thank you all so much for sticking with me, even as I take my sweet ass time getting this out! This was originally two chapters, but I felt guilty for being absent so you get one a bit longer than average! I'm trying to get ahead of myself a few chapters (trying being the keyword here hah) so this lull in updating doesn't happen too often. As always, lovely viewers, you are all awesome and much appreciated, and once again I'm sorry for the wait; hopefully it was worth it!)


	5. Chapter 5

Swan

I trudge through the thick undergrowth, set on finding Rory and the wolf pack. I _refuse_ to be left behind; I'm going to be a hunter, these are things I _need_ to learn about and see for myself. Fragile – the thought makes my head spin with self-deprecating thoughts. I should be _more_ than this _._ It's dangerous out here, yeah, I know, but if I can just keep my focus, pay attention…

Which is easier said than done when my thoughts always lead to Alice. I wish –

"Well, look at _this._ It seems the Kitten does indeed keep a pet of her own."

My foot pauses in mid-step, the breath knocked from my lungs. The man's deep voice is foreign to me, and I haven't seen his face, but I instantly know who it is. When that realization sinks in and I realize just how reckless I've been, I break into a frenzied run through the trees; I don't make it far.

"Ah, not so fast," John Belmont says, now in front of me, the movement causing only the barest rustle of leaves and clothes, "we've got _business,_ Miss Swan."

I don't know what I expected this mad-man to look like; from Rory's recounting of her childhood, I'd thought him the devil incarnate, but…standing a few inches under six feet tall with similar features to his granddaughter, I can say this is _not_ what I expected – a normal man in his late sixties, with a few tattoos peeking out from under a dark long sleeved shirt. But, while he might look harmless, I have second-hand knowledge to tell me he's cunning as well as ruthless.

"H-How do you know my name?" I try to keep the shaking out of my voice, try to stand tall, but I've got an unassuming looking older man in front of me that has fear devouring my entire being.

He runs a hand through his short silvery locks, and the resemblance he bears to Rory as he makes the motion churns my stomach unpleasantly, "Isabella – may I call you Isabella? – it's come to my attention that my granddaughter Amory has begun the steps necessary to make you a hunter. I can't allow this to happen."

Long, lanky legs take a step toward me and in turn I take a step back. It's like a twisted dance, deadly, and most likely all to a tune of his design. Brown eyes, deep like his estranged granddaughters without the same spark of warmth watch my every tremble with some sort of sick glee.

"Why?" Why can't he allow this? Why is he here? Why _now?_ I try to stop my knees from knocking as I look around wildly for _anything_ to help me.

The frown that creases his face – I see it in that the depravity and ruthlessness that nearly broke Amory. That _did_ break her, at least until she wound up in Forks…

"Because even after all the _work_ I put into her," he starts forward again, backing me up against a tree as he stares down at me with nothing but malice, "even after I made her a tool for war against occult, _here she is,"_ with his arms momentarily outstretched in dramatic flair, morbid smile on his harsh and uncannily familiar features, he raises his voice slightly, " _bound to a vampire._ Living out her days in some…half-assed fairytale, where she thinks she's in _love._ Can you begin to imagine the _horror_ I feel at this, Isabella, the blind _rage_ I'm in? At least when she was dying I could write it off as some last dalliance of her drug wrecked brain, a deathbed side effect of her Spartan up bringing, but to use the old texts to do _this…_ "

As he trails off he begins to shake, fists clenched until his knuckles are bone-white, still staring intensely at me, "She's obviously still has a lot to learn. I will _not_ have _our_ sacrifices tossed aside so she can have her _happily ever after;_ that's not for her, not for any hunter. Even for you, Isabella," his eyes soften minutely, though I'm nearly positive it's just a contrivance to make me feel more at ease, more like prey _,_ "if you hadn't gone into this because of being rejected by that bloodsucker bitch - "

Lightning fast my hand reaches out to strike his face, but he catches my fist easily. I stare at him in indignant fury, fear forgotten. Bitch _?_ My blood boils as I try to concentrate on getting out of this situation. She did reject me; she rejected my want to become something more than myself…but I'm not about to let this heartless bastard call her that.

My breath hitches in my throat as I focus on the things I want repressed; I can't be lost to my thoughts now. But trying doesn't do a thing; all I can think of is she rejected me and I didn't let her back in; foolish pride blinded me and made the decision stick. To distract myself I scowl at the man in front of me, hoping he hasn't noticed me falter and knowing he already has.

"Maybe she didn't choose too terribly," he says, more to himself than to me.

I take a deep breath and narrow my eyes at him, emotions showing clearly as I speak, "We're going to beat you. Rory's going to –"

He smiles, a compassion-free gesture, "That, _apprentice,_ is almost laughable. You will all fall, because Amory has done what she always does; found a way to fuck everything up. What I'll do to you will make it _impossible_ for those bloodsuckers to resist crossing the border, and this will be perceived as her fault, a failure, something she won't recover from. She's spread herself to thin, and you'll have to pay the price with her.

"I'm afraid I don't know how to make this painless, Isabella, but I'll try to make it _quick._ "

The second part is a whisper as his large hand comes to rest on my shoulder. He cocks his fist back for a brutal hit; he's going to do it. I'm going to die here and I'm not going to get a chance at _anything._

His hand strikes the side of my face - my vision goes completely black for a minute before tears spring to my eyes and I cry out in pain; my eye socket is most likely shattered. The turmoil the act sends me into – the thought of those months of training, all the _work_ I did amounting to nothing – has me trying to throw another right hook at his haggard, ink-free face. He catches the punch no problem, of course, and to add insult to injury he _laughs._

His face crinkles as he smiles, eyes shining vividly – it's a gesture perverted by cruelty, "Or maybe not."

Then I see the flash of a steel combat knife.

It pierces my abdomen first – or I'm fairly certain it does. I can _see_ the blade sink into my skin and I feel a dull pinch. It's only when he pulls the steel back all covered in blood that my mind seems to catch up with my body. The initial wound starts building in painful intensity; I try to put my hand to it to stop the bleeding, try to scream, but the moment John sees me about to call for help he closes one broad hand around my throat and presses me painfully against a nearby tree – the pain it would usually cause is nothing compared to the agony I'm in. The only thing I can think to do as he starts his slashing with renewed vigor is claw helplessly at his hands – dark spots dot my vision, and I know that I'm not going to be holding on for much longer.

Through dazed eyes I see my own blood painting the woods – there goes all that work I put into getting over my blood sensitivity.

There goes all that work I put into anything.

Somewhere there's the howl of a wolf; it must be far away, but it sounds like it's about to split the forest open. John stops his assault on me at the sound, curses under his breath, and tosses me away to the forest floor.

The only strength I can muster is bringing my right hand up to my mangled front – I'm covered in vicious cuts from sternum to pelvis, but I clasp one of my hands as hard as I can to one of the wounds on my stomach. I'd vomit if I wasn't afraid my insides would tear themselves out. My consciousness fades in and out, and in the blur of green I can make out the hunter's figure as he approaches me again.

With a flourish he bends and places something light in my other palm, and once that's done I hear him sigh heavily, almost wistfully, "Amory...when will you learn?"

I'm already dead to him; he doesn't even bother a look back as he leaves the clearing. I don't follow him with my eyes – I can't – as he dissolves away, leaving me gasping up at the sky in a shallow pool of my own blood.

Screw immortality; I'd give anything for five more minutes. I need to say goodbye – to Charlie and Mom and Rory…

And Alice. My last thoughts are with her – god, what I wouldn't give to be in her arms again, or kiss her one last time…the night before the Cullen family had taken off, before our lives changed into this ride of absolute terror, she'd promised me forever. I held her in my arms that night after we made love for the first time and promised I'd do whatever it would take to make forever really happen. How had I lost sight of that? How had we lost sight of what we had? How did things get so hopelessly fucked up?

So many questions I'll never have answers to.

"Bella!" Rory's face comes into view, tearstained and wide-eyed. I know John failed in his attempt to start a war between the wolves and vampires as soon as I see that face, and I also know it's all over for me. I hear her start talking softly, but I've got something I'm dying for in my hand. With effort I bring the scrap of paper to my chest, where she'll see it.

"Rory he….he's…" I choke out the words; blood trickles from the side of my mouth and into the dirt.

She knows; as I deliver the last bad news I'll ever have to my eyes slide shut and I try to escape the pain I'm in. Rory was right – this sucks.

* * *

As soon as I slip from one world I'm in another – there's a gap of nothingness in between, but it lasts for less than a millisecond. Or, that's at least how it feels.

It's like waking up, without the actual waking part; I'm in a vast swath of darkness, dotted occasionally by a dull star. Those stars are a mire of shattered memories, each one foggy and cracked and opaque with age, though how I know that I have no idea. Maybe it's part of being dead. I never put much thought into the afterlife; I'd been banking on becoming immortal, so there was no point. But here I am most likely dead, in some strange place that –

"Bella?"

That's Alice's voice, sweet and calming, echoing around inside my skull, inside my soul. I turn around, still distracted by the shining points of light that are like looking glasses into another life, before my eyes settle on my beloved.

Even here, in this ethereal world I'm not even sure is real, she's beautiful – the most beautiful person I've ever seen in my life. I thought it from the first time I saw her; tiny, the definition of dainty, with doll like features and that shock of short dark hair that always manages to look perfectly imperfect, flying every which way. It's her eyes that have me captivated. In this space, every light seems to make them shine an even brighter buttercup gold.

"Alice," her name is a breathy prayer on my lips, "where are we?"

She looks apprehensive for a moment, full lips frowning into a pout and dark brows drawing together, "My mind, or soul, or _whatever,"_ she finally decides on approaching the situation with levity and cracks a small, unsure smile, "I'm sorry it's a bit…messy."

Wonder strikes me silent as I look around at the vast black space, filled sporadically with windows of bright light. Looking into one recalls a memory from Alice's past, so far back that the images themselves are unsure of the events within; vague memories of a time before eternity, and all the events that led her here, to me. There's something missing, though.

"Shouldn't there be futures here, too?"

She seems to glide across the darkness to my side and takes one of my hands into her stony grip, "Are you sure you want to see?"

Unable to tell her, I simply nod emphatically. With a soft sigh, she closes her eyes, and it's like someone flipped a light switch.

Where there once was nothing there's now so many possibilities it's like seeing _everything._ It's so much to take in – so many paths that lead to utter destruction and the tiniest decisions these futures hinge on. Alice must sense my growing disquiet, because we're soon thrust back into inky darkness, dotted by random intervals of light.

"How do you deal with all of that Alice?" The visions I just saw play on repeat in my mind; once I would have likened being able to see the future as a superpower – now I can see how terrible of a burden it is, "How can you see all of that and be the way you are?

 _"Fuck."_ I say the last bit under my breath, weary from the split-second visions.

"I'm going to give Rory a piece of my mind – she's turned you into a mini-version of her," the young woman says to herself, frowning, before her countenance changes to a look of piqued, smug curiosity, "and just what do you mean by 'the way I am'?"

I pull her to me then and rest my cheek against hers; I silently rejoice at being so close to her again, "We might not have seen eye to eye these past few days, but that hasn't changed the way I feel about you. I'm…terrible at this kind of stuff, you know that. I guess it took dying to realize –"

"You aren't dead…if you were, I'd be gone too," she looks more vulnerable than I've ever seen her, "I can't…I can't do this, being apart from you, always at odds...There's nothing that matters more than _us,_ that we can't figure out together. I love you. I'm so sorry – for abandoning you, for not supporting you…I was just afraid something like _this_ would happen. I never wanted you to have to go through any of this," her hold on me tightens, as if to reassure herself I'm still here, "I'm just glad we saved you."

Considering I was torn up so badly modern medicine wouldn't be able to help me, I know _exactly_ how they saved me, "…Tell me I'm not bald."

She laughs then, a sound like tinkling bells that sets my heart ablaze, "You're still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

I roll my eyes, still uncomfortable with mushy stuff even after all we've been through, "Ali-"

My words are cut short by her lips, soft yet demanding; the euphoria I feel at being with her again is unlike anything I've ever known.

"Wake up! Soon! Oh, I can't wait!" She's all smiles as she pulls away – I feel the waterworks fighting their way forward, but I squash the tears of happiness, "I love you so much."

All the lights fade, leaving everything pitch black once again.

* * *

"- couldn't see because of the wolves. Please, _please_ wake up. I can't –"

Water sloshes around in the tub I'm in – though I don't know how I know I'm in a bathtub at the Cullen house without opening my eyes.

Stranger things have happened.

" – wonder if this is how it was for Rory and –"

"Ali-ce?" My voice cracks halfway through her name; I fight through the drowsiness I feel and speak before I try prying my eyes open.

"Bella!" I do snap my eyes open when my pixie, in her rush to greet me back into the world of the living, falls into the water beside me, arms flung around my neck, "I was so scared I was going to lose you!"

"Ah! Alice!" Instinctively my hands reach for my midsection, but there's not so much as a scratch. There's a faint webbing of scars covering my front, but I'll take that if it means living. With a faint blush of embarrassment at my state of undress, I raise my arms from the water to encircle her waist; it's then I see the small runes and line work dotting my arm in red.

The mark of a hunter.

"She does good work," Alice says, molding herself to my side, not caring how drenched her clothes are, "it's beautiful."

"I…I…" How could I ever begin to repay Amory for everything she's done? She didn't have to stick around and babysit me for months, didn't have to stand by my side during all my choices, and she sure as hell didn't have to put everything on hold to save her stupid apprentice. I'm back with Alice again because of her. I'm _alive_ because of her.

"I know," my pixie's lips brush briefly against my collar bone, "you should see your _other_ tattoo."

Thinking she means now, I try to wiggle out from under her. My struggling causes a bright smile to light her face.

"No, not _now;_ I've…I need you, Bella," her eyes are all seduction, and they pull me in instantly, "now."

I fumble clumsily with the wet dress she has on – maybe almost dying doesn't _completely_ suck if this is the outcome.

* * *

(A/N: Re-wrote this chapter a billion fucking times, wasn't sure it was going to make the cut, but I liked how it turned out all and all. This was, surprisingly, easy to write without swearing - it just lacks that Rory pizzazz though. A little Swan and Al action though, which I really enjoy; I'm kind of thinking about going back and writing more chapters about _that_ relationship, but that's just me getting ahead of myself – one thing at a time! Romantic stuff, awesome stuff, actiony stuff, all coming up next! Thanks for the support and stay tuned for more! You guys are rad!)


	6. Chapter 6

And good God, under starry skies we are lost,  
And into the breach we got tossed,  
And the water's coming in fast!

And oh, my love, remind me  
What was it that I said?  
I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed  
And oh, my love, remind me  
What was it that I did?

Did I drink too much?  
Am I losing touch?  
Did I build this ship to wreck?

* * *

Wreck

My usual content at the prospect of being at Jasper's side again is waylaid by the fear and anger roiling in my mind. How fucking _stupid_ could I have been? Of _course_ John never gave up his little pet project – I'm too valuable an asset to give up. More than that, this raises a lot of questions I'm not sure I want answered; did he just get here or, an even more sickening thought, has he been at this a while? Why try to kill Bella, even go so far as to mutilate her? The closer I get to my house the more I slow, until I'm merely shuffling along the outer edge of the forest near the road, head down, thinking. How the hell is the plan I bet on – tenuous plan, sure, but a plan none the less – going to work now that the man I consider our biggest threat is right on our fucking doorstep?

And…he's right, isn't he? He's always been right.

I suddenly doubt everything about the last year and half. I don't know how I got in this deep; I should have never gotten in this deep. Swan almost died. I have her blood on my hands _still,_ dried and cracking into the cuticles on my nails and staining the pads of my fingers. Having this much to care about, having this much to lose, is too much.

I can't breathe. Even as I gasp down jagged mouthfuls of cool mountain air I feel stifled, suffocated.

I've been wrong – have I been wrong? Am I leading everyone down a path of utter destruction? This should be something I do alone because I _have_ to do it alone. Jasper…whatever he's hiding it's proof he doesn't trust me enough to share everything like I'm forced to.

 _Would_ I have chosen this, had I known the risks? I'm coming off the high of not dying and crashing, hard. What would I have done if I'd been able to choose?

And if I feel like this now, what did I just do to Swan? Damn her to an eternity? I think so, an eternity of 'what if this isn't the right way.'

What am I even doing here?

Barely aware of the crackle of the gravel under my boots or the branches whipping my face, I make an abrupt turn from the path I was on, the path back home. Right now, I don't know if I can handle all that means. _Everyone's_ lives are riding on me, dead or undead, and…

I have to prove he's wrong, even if it means putting myself at risk.

* * *

By the time I reach Seattle night is falling; the air is so cool it brings a hauntingly vivid memory of Jasper's fingertips raking my body, begging to know every inch of flesh…God damn, I know I want to be with him, but John has my mind spinning in circles. I haven't even seen him yet and he's got me shaken to the core – pathetic. But is that because I've forsaken everything he's taught me? The voice I once banished to the back of my mind, slick and cunning as the old bastard himself sneers _yes_ from every corner.

 _Where are you?_

Jasper's voice is demanding, frightened, and only serves to add to the frustration I'm drowning in. The very thought of trying to breach his thoughts almost makes me sick – I already feel like I've got the world's worst hangover, and considering my past, that's really saying something. It's not easy tuning out his direct link, and doing it all the way is impossible, but I make it damn close.

 _-isten to me! A-_

Nope. I've got a score to settle with two bitches, so just no. Not that I know how I'm about to find them in a city this large before he finds me. If I don't have my hands wrapped around Maria's throat in the next half hour I'll be tearing Seattle apart.

Trouble can try to override me all he wants; the need to tear Red and that _harlot_ apart is all that I am right now, all I need to be. My marks burn tracks on my skin – the fire lets me see the city more clearly, let's me smell that staple cheap perfume on the wind, adding in a bad way to Stucco and sun-bleached flowers. My lungs expand, steeped in those scents, and I turn south. A vague direction is better than nothing.

They're everywhere, entwined with the people of the city – especially in the thick of it, where people go to get away and get lost. How many newborns were born on these streets? How many will die here? Death's better than an existence of brutality. Trust me, I know.

 _Do you really think that?_

God, _no._ I don't know. I just -

"AMORY!"

"What the fuck do you want?!" In true form, I spit out the first words that come to mind as I turn, mad and barely aware of my own actions. People on the street stop and stare, but Jasper doesn't relent; he approaches me, shaking with emotions, and grabs me by both shoulders.

It sends his feelings rushing through me, all reflections of my own. The fear of losing me outweighs any other doubt in his mind.

"Marry me."

I go wide-eyed before I start to panic again. Perfect timing Jazz, just perfect. This is _fucking_ typical. One more thing to worry about and I just -

"I _know_ this is terrible timing! Don't answer now. Once we've done what you came to do, we'll talk about it. Damn it, Amory," he runs a hand through his hair, looking more exasperated than I've ever seen him, " _that_ was the secret."

 _Duh._ He doesn't say it out loud, but he can't stop his thoughts from blaring it.

"…I'm an idiot. And a bitch." Right now, that's the only part of this whole exchange I can process.

He wants to _marry_ me. That's as far as my brain can take the thought. If I wasn't still so fucking pissed off I'd dance right here on the sidewalk and scream like a schoolgirl. Maybe later.

"You're _scared._ Look, we'll - "

"He's wrong, right?" My voice goes quiet, "What if we lose it all? What if I lose you?"

I'm pulled into his arms after a brief pause. Wanting to feel anything other than this terrible headache I've caused myself I lean up; my lips hit his with all the tact and intensity of a freight train, and he cups one of my cheeks in his cold hand and nearly devours me.

He gets me with this _every time._ Makes me feel right even when I don't want to. He doesn't put all my pieces back together effortlessly, but he at least makes sure there's no missing parts.

What now? Do we go back or pick a fight?

 _Think of it this way, darlin' –_

The Major slips through his mind and into mine, dark and sultry and ready for war

 _\- the sooner we clean up this mess, the sooner we can get back home; I won't forgive you_ this _easily._

Great, now I can add being sexually frustrated to the list of things currently mind-fucking me, the others being my vampire boyfriend just proposed and I'm _still_ pissed off.

"Think you can find Maria? If she's not with Red, she'll know where she is."

He raises my disfigured hand to his lips and places a gentle, guilt-ridden kiss against the knuckles on my missing digits.

"I should have stopped her a long time ago," golden eyes with a rim of scarlet around the pupil gaze down at me, lit with fire, "by the end of tonight, I will."

"Jasper, I –"

"Um, hello?"

Both of our heads snap to the side and we suddenly remember we're on planet Earth. Maddie is standing there with Edward, looking _mighty_ awkward.

"Need backup?" She smiles sweetly and all I can do in response is nod stupidly.

"Done freaking out?" The Professor says, usual slight smirk on his face.

"Dear God I hope so," I really do, my brain can't take anymore mental breakdowns, "let's go do something _normal_."

"Uh, we _might_ have a slight probl-"

"Hello Belmont."

Fuck me sideways, this day just gets _better_ and _better._

* * *

(A/N: I wrote this whole chapter out, hated how it went, and completely rewrote it. Originally this chapter just seemed to...cheery. The shock of not dying and hearing from her estranged grandfather really put poor Rory through a loop; she might be immortal but she's still only human. I'd been planning a fancy proposal, but this just felt more _them._ I know I've been less consistent with my updates, but I am trying for quality content, and I do like to take my time with edits and such. Thanks for sticking with me!

On another note, I'm working on another story that will probably be posted soon. I'm on a huge Friday the 13th kick - if you're a fan, check it out! I had originally wanted to wait until this was totally complete, but I can't help it; things just start calling my name.

Lyrics belong to Florence and the Machine - Ship to Wreck. Their new album has really been inspiring me, check it out if you haven't already! As always, you guys are totally fucking awesome, thanks for reading and stay tuned!)


	7. Chapter 7

Well, Shit

* * *

"Jane. I'd say it's nice to see you, but we both know that's a lie."

Jasper, only pretty recently out of Volturi captivity and a survivor of the not-girls terrible power, is understandably pissed off when we both turn around and see her in all her caped glory; I have to fight to keep a level head and not start an a war in the streets. It's pretty difficult considering I'd like to rip her head off as badly as Jazz does.

We need to figure out what she's up to _before_ we tear her apart.

"Belmont. I'm pleased to see you still live," I can tell by her clipped tone she definitely is _not_ happy to see me alive, "as we need your assistance. Could we have a word - _privately?_ "

I'm instantly on alert at her words; they've already asked me to deal with John, what else could there be? Suddenly full of nerves I take a smoke out of the crushed cardboard pack in my back pocket.

"How private we talking?" I ask as I fish around for my lighter.

"Privately. You and I need to -"

"She's not going anywhere without me." Jasper's statement next to me screams finality. Jane casts him a wary glance, eyes trained on the few scars currently visible, and sighs.

"You _and_ Mr. Whitlock, if he's going to press the issue. No one else." Her eyes are trained on a silent and on-edge Edward, who at some point during our brief exchange had stepped in front of Madeline in an effort to shield her. I have no doubt she's has been noticed and noted – even if she is part to the occult world, the Volturi still consider her human. And I know what they think of vampires who keep humans around.

But hey, if they make the first move it would make this potential blood bath thing a lot easier to swallow.

I exhale my first, lovely puff of smoke and flick the ashes at her feet, "You look _awfully_ out of place in Seattle, Jane. Why are you here?"

Seriously, capes. I can't get over it. It's like she hasn't left Volterra in centuries. Compared to her presence on the sidewalk, I look _normal_ , even covered in grime and gore.

"Amory," crap, now we're on first name basis – I hate being on first name basis with the Volturi – "I don't need a reminder that I'm on this... _archaic_ continent. Please, follow me. There's much to discuss."

The young woman moves, almost floated, a few yards away from us before Maddie speaks, "She's wearing a cape and _we're_ archaic, sure."

I'm too caught up in my thoughts, eyes trained on the girls retreating figure to offer my own comment. When she hits the end of the street she turns to face us – for the first time since I've known Jane, she looks absolutely , utterly fragile. I hate it; that look almost makes me feel bad for what we're planning.

Almost.

"This could be a trap," Maddie chimes in again, "most likely _is_ a trap, I mean."

"Any useful information in her head Professor?" I flick the half-dead cigarette in my hand into the gutter, littering be damned at the moment. At least if it's a trap we wont be totally in the dark. And, luckily, I wont be alone.

"...Alec is close, along with Dimitri and Felix. Something happened...nothing good. She's a hard one to read; I can't pick out anything specific."

"Well, shit," I turn my attention to Jasper and incline my head towards Jane, "let's see what happened to have the Volturi so shaken."

Without waiting I start off down the sidewalk. He catches up in two long strides and grabs me by the elbow.

"Don't think this means I'm forgetting what happened tonight."

"Ditto."

"Seriously Rory, we need to –"

"What we need to do is deal with this and get the fuck out of , hopefully, we can go home and I can...make this whole night up to you." I drop my voice to as sexy a purr as I can manage, and he finally cracks that sexy damned smirk.

"As you command." He's half joking, but when he says it...my focus shifts; I don't know if its from the stress of the day, the possibility of being ambushed, or the way his voice and thoughts wash over me, but he laces his fingers in mine and a dark shock of lust makes me _tremble._ I'll make it up to him, oh yes; with _pleasure._

* * *

I don't know what I was expecting when I agreed to this. A secret lair tucked away in unassuming Seattle? A swanky hotel room fit for Volturi 'royalty'? A million possibilities to prepare for during our walk, each one introducing a new plan of counter attack to a possible ambush.

Maybe it'll be the climax of an action flick, like a warehouse with a vat of acid or lava or...

I'm pretty goddamn dissapointed when we end up in a park. A normal, every day, run of the mill park. It's dark, but that's hardly creepy. There's even a kid's play structure not too far from us. Not at all macabre or mysterious.

And, just as Professor X said, Alec is awaiting our arrival flanked by Dimitri and Felix. Jane greets them with the same terse tone she had used with me earlier. Felix narrows his eyes when they land on me.

"Belmont. You look like hell."

I'd rather there _was_ lava and acid.

Before I get a chance to open my mouth to respond, Jazz puts himself between us. His stance is all aggression but he doesn't say a thing; he doesn't need to. Felix looks ready to roll his eyes, but then I see the recognition of the scars marring Jasper's flesh. He's not the type to get _scared,_ but he does lose his smart mouth and looks to the young woman currently leading them.

"Seeing you all is always so _fucking_ pleasant. Why am I here? Last I checked, we had a very, very tenuous truce. If the 'delicate matter' you mentioned is insulting me, I'm going to walk – and you can deal with your problems alone. All of them."

"Amory," Alec begins - he looks just as out of place as his sister - and I note his usual charm is dampened by the same strain his twin is under, "the situation has become...difficult. As much as it pains me to admit it, under the current circumstances we...need to hire you for your _exceptional_ services once again."

"Don't flatter her," Dimitri chimes in.

"Jesus Christ, what is the big problem? What are you talking about?" Exasperation overrides everything as I throw my hands in the air, "Seriously, I don't have all night. If you want to keep dicking me around by not saying a fucki-"

"John Belmont has divided the Volturi.

He's started a war within our ranks."

Well, shit.

"What did he do?" Jazz asks Jane before I get the chance; I don't even know what to say beyond cursing.

"His break in attempt was not to steal the tome you sought from us," she continues, "but rather to leave a detailed letter for Marcus."

"Marcus? A letter? _What?_ Must've been a hell of a read to start a war." Finally I find my voice again, though now I sound as apprehensive as twins do.

Alec narrows his eyes at Jasper and I, "The contents of the letter don't concern -"

"Considering you came here _begging_ for our help, I think the contents do concern us." Jasper's voice is even as he addresses the assembled Volturi, but I can feel his patience close to cracking; the tense feeling in the air is stifling.

"Yeah, what he said."

The two siblings exchange a look before Jane speaks again, "Very well. Amory, you're fairly familiar with our organization -"

"Unfortunately."

"- so I trust that you remember that while the wife's of Aro and Caius's are still alive, Marcus long ago lost his. Didyme."

"That's ancient history. Literally."

"...For him I warrant it will always be a fresh wound. What he didn't know – what no one but those trusted knew – about her passing..."

She exchanges another look with her brother and the air seems to now sizzle with tension. In the middle of what should be a cool Seattle night I'm sweating bullets – anxiety has my stomach flipping and my skin ablaze.

"Aro killed her. Marcus never knew. Corin has kept him...comfortable with her power."

"Complacent, you mean. Shit...his own _sister?_ Why?"

"She was a threat; Marcus wouldn't have stayed with the Volturi if she hadn't -"

"Hadn't been murdered?" Jasper supplies.

"She wasn't a _threat –_ he would have left with her and you would have lost an edge," Aro and John would be best friends, I know it.

"Aro and Caius did what they thought best for the Volturi. Unfortunately, time has not dulled Didyme's loss at all; when he learned the truth, Corin was unable to keep him under control and he fled. He is either on the way to Washington or here already."

"I'm not liking where this is going, Jane. Why is he here?"

"Your current quarry, the leader of the Mexican coven? She's joined power with a woman named Victoria. I trust you've discovered that they have been creating newborns for an army?"

"We're _very_ aware." Jasper grows more anxious with each word Jane says; it's finally leaking through in his voice.

"Well, they're becoming quite the force. Large enough to pose us a threat if they were so inclined. Marcus did manage to get a handful of defectors from within ranks. From what we can imagine, he will approach your targets for aid in destroying us – of course, this is after they come for you."

"So you see, hunting down Marcus and his defectors is in your best interest as well, Belmont." The slight smirk Alec punctuates this comment with makes me want to smack his head off his shoulders.

I go quiet, opting to spark up another cigarette instead of replying. What can I say? That does sound like the probable outcome of the situation. Though...it doesn't work against us. In fact, the more divided the Volturi are we are guaranteed the upper hand.

' _...I've got a plan.'_

That makes one of us.

 _'If Marcus is looking for a force to avenge his wife, he's going to need more than a patchwork army. He's going to need_ us.'

Two birds with one stone. I don't like the idea of letting Marcus continue his unlife, but of the three head honchos in Volterra he's the most sane. Not to mention, he has inside knowledge that might help us in our struggle against their...tyranny? Madness?

Their asshole ways?

Plus, he tries anything and he's dead. It really is win-win.

I'm not one hundred percent sure what John's motives are in this; maybe he just wants to see the Volturi out of power, like I do. I highly doubt that, though. Something tells me he's just looking for another way to fuck me over, as if doing what he did to Swan wasn't enough.

"...I need a drink."

"Be that as it may, we do need an answer. You agreed to help with John, we would like to hire you to deal with Marcus. Just like old times." Jane smiles and looks more than happy with her slight dig at me.

"...Looks like I don't have much of a choice," I admit, "they'll be coming for us either way. Any useful info on our dear Maria and Red?"

From under his coat, Alec pulls out a simple black folder and extends it to us. I grab the documents and fight the urge to tear through them, instead I let them hang at my side securely in my grip.

"Are we done here?" Because I was really serious about that drink.

"For the moment. We'll be in touch Amory – we'd extend our thanks, but -"

"But I don't give a damn. I'll contact you when it's all settled," I interrupt Jane with a smile, "now get the _fuck_ out of my part of the world."

"Too close for comfort?" She sneers back, her doll-like features mutating into pure malicious mischief. That's the face I know and hate.

I flick the remains of my burnt down smoke at her feet and bare a humorless smile; I'd like to tell her what I've got in store for her, but I decide on simplicity, "Screw you."

Jasper has no more words for them and neither do I – we leave the dimly lit park as he texts Edward to meet us nearby.

* * *

The ride home is no less tense than our meeting with the Volturi guard. Jasper is blocking his thoughts from me, but I can guess he's still pretty heated about me rushing off to Seattle alone, though I'm hoping that's taken a backseat to the whole 'John-starting-war-before-us' thing. _I'm_ pissed because the only thing I got out of it was an unsettling meeting with a bunch of pricks. Edward is obviously caught between both of our thoughts; good thing he doesn't have to concentrate to drive well.

Madeline is _visibly_ struggling with how quiet it is. She opens her mouth to speak and then shuts it so quickly the snap is audible. The Professor looks at the woman from the corner of his eye with a ghost of a smile.

It'd be cute if I wasn't so caught up in a torrential flood of bullshit, most of it caused by...me.

"...What do we do now?" Edward finally breaches the silence, undoubtedly to put Witchie at ease.

"Can I smoke in here?"

Instead of Ed answering me, Maddie groans, "Do you _have_ to?"

"...No." The pack stays in my hands, slightly crushed and shaking.

Jasper is still pissed – maybe not specifically at me, but at my antics. Really though, it was stupid. Really, really idiotic. My one stable place in this fucked up world and I almost go and blow it.

And with what's to come, I'm going to need stability.

"We'll figure out exactly where Maria and Red are – quickly – and hopefully get there before Marcus. It'll be easier to get him on our side if his plans are null and void."

"And John?" Her question is innocent enough, but it sets my mind into a flurry.

The more I hear his name the more I feel like a scared little kid. Only back then it was just my life at stake. Now I've got a family to worry about. And Jasper...if John does anything to him...

I'll completely lose what little sanity I have left. I let the question hang in the air until it dies – I have no response that would satisfy it. What else can I do but try to stop him?

Try. That sends another thrill of fear down the back of my spine.

We're plunged into silence for the remaining hour of the drive.

* * *

I want to go home. I want to see Hulk, Widow and Marvel; I want to sleep in my own bed; I want to be alone with Jasper even if it means having to explain myself and face my anxieties.

Honestly, I'm just looking forward to the make-up sex.

As we roll into Forks, I know that it's not possible yet. Swan needs to be checked on, the Chief needs to be informed of the crazy shit happening in town, the rest of the family needs to be briefed on our meeting, and I have no doubt something has gone wrong while we were away. Which is crap. Even the parts of me that were dreading having to face Jasper are now screaming at me that none of that is as important as jumping his bones.

It's all way too much to think about and by the time we pull into a familiar garage filled with fancy cars, I'm lost in my mind. My brain hurts. It's not until Jazz opens my door and offers his hand that I know we've arrived.

Before I can think better of it I get out of the car and wrap my arms tightly around him and bury my face into his chest, never mind I'm getting him filthy. The fabric is soft and his scent surrounds me – I feel instantly better, or at least more calm.

"I still love you. I always will." His chest rumbles comfortingly against my cheek.

"I don't know _why._ I'm the worlds biggest idiot."

"...Only sometimes."

I push his shoulder playfully and raise my eyes to meet his, "You are terrible. I love you too."

His stony, cool fingertips trace my cheekbone before he drops a kiss on my lips; there's so much emotion behind it it leaves my thoughts blissfully blank. No more worries about him changing his mind, or whether this is putting people in danger, or anything that spells doubt. When I finally open my eyes again he's smirking – it sends my mind into a flurry of sinful possibilities.

"...Do we _have_ to do this right now?"

He nods halfheartedly, just as dispirited that we aren't home yet, "They're waiting."

* * *

As soon as I'm in the door I'm wrapped in a pair of cold arms that aren't Jasper's. Alice easily lifts me off the ground, squeezes me so hard she nearly crushes my lungs, and squeals loudly in my ear.

"Thank you thank you thank you! I don't know why I was ever mad at you; you're the best!"

"Al, still human, still have to breathe," I gasp out, and she releases me instantaneously. She grins, wide and wild and all Alice, before she gestures behind her.

Swan. A should be bald Swan, only her hair looks so similar to what it was that the only way I know I didn't dream the previous day is the new red lines that stand out stark against her pale skin. Her grin is nearly as wide as Al's, and that's rare for Swan. Relief floods my being – at least neither of them hate me for what happened. Tears start to build behind my eyes as I look at the now more-or-less immortal young woman, but I fight against them and keep it light.

"I _knew_ you'd wear a wig."

She looks at me in disbelief, "Seriously? The last time you saw me I was _dying_ , and _that's_ what you lead with?"

I cross the gap between us with a smile on my face before I stop in front of her with a broad grin, "Nice to see you alive again, Swan; I was really going to miss you. How's immortality been?"

Her tough girl facade cracks – after all, she hasn't had as many years of practice as I have – and I know by the way she hangs her head and wipes quickly at her face that she's failing at pushing back tears. Alice quickly wraps an arm around her and the exchange of feelings in the air is almost tangible. I wonder if that's how it feels for everyone when Jasper and I are conversing in our heads, or if it's just because we're similarly bound. For all we know about the Crown of Anathema, twice as much is still unknown.

"Fine, great...Any news about Maria? Or Victoria?" Swan pushes away from the emotional situation, as usual, and delves right into the real problem.

It's not such a touchy-feely reunion, but Swan and I have never really operated like that; especially not in front of a room full of people. Too awkward.

"Kind of," I turn to go get a glass of whiskey – screw the fact that it's dawn – but Jasper is already like there like a goddamn knight in shining armor with a glass in hand that I take eagerly, "a file. That I got from...well, we ran into Jane, Alec, and my two least favorite members of the Volturi guard. I haven't looked at the file yet; I wanted more eyes on it than just mine."

"What? It's odd for them to leave Volterra...are they after those two as well?"

"Not _exactly,"_ I take a burning, nerve calming gulp before responding to Carlisle, " but Marcus left; he found out that Aro is a sneaky fuck and deserted the Volturi."

Edward perches anxiously on the end of the couch, still on edge from all our thoughts, "The rest of them are convinced that he's on his way to meet up with Maria and Victoria; they confirmed that the two of them are breeding a newborn army. If Marcus joins them -"

"We're gonna have a hell of a fight on our hands." Emmett looks more than excited at the prospect.

"Not if our plan works." Jasper supplies as he gracefully collapses into a chair across from me. The sexual energy from earlier hasn't dissipated, and the vermillion ring around his irises glows in the light. I take another hit of whiskey and hope no one else notices.

He catches me staring; he doesn't even need to use our connection to send me into a flurry of lust. It's embarrassing in front of the whole family, though, but fighting it is getting increasingly tougher.

"Look, we're not going to be getting anything done right now. I need to go home and take a shower, we have to get ready for Harry's funeral," I turn to Swan who is still wrapped in Al's arms, "and _we_ have to talk to the chief. You, Al, and I."

"You aren't going anywhere without me."

With a roll of my eyes I assent to Jasper's request, "My _bodyguard_ too, then."

I wasn't sure that Swan could get paler, but she does; clearly she hadn't thought of telling her father yet, "Shit."

"Rory, I remember why I'm mad at you now. The mouth on Bella!"

I finish my drink and flash Alice a mischievous grin, "Oh, I'm _sure_ you don't mind her mouth."

Swan's face lights up red, Colossus howls laughter, and Jazz finally loses his saintly patience.

"We're going; we'll meet you at Bella's in a few hours."

"Jasper, I think we should..." Esme is clearly trying to find out more information about our run in with the Volturi, but something grabs her attention.

"...Are your eyes red? Have you been drinking _blood?"_

Oh goddamn it. I fight to keep from groaning out loud as I prepare myself for the unpleasant round of twenty-questions that's sure to follow. I'm just hoping we can explain it and be done.

"Jasper, what have you done?" Carlisle is _way_ less than pleased. Jasper clears his throat, struggles for words, but stays quiet.

"...I'm a consenting adult," I try to sound nonchalant but fail miserably, so I add an unconvincing shrug of my shoulders, "it's not that big of a deal -"

"Amory, this is _rather_ serious. Jasper has always...struggled with our lifestyle. This could -"

"He stood in the middle of a crowded street in Seattle tonight and didn't have a problem. He's been around people since...you know, we tried _this._ And it's not a bad thing. You know he's going to be more powerful if he's drinking human blood. We're going to need any advantage we can get."

I'm not about to give it up, either. Maybe it's a little twisted, and more than a bit kinky, but goddamn it feels amazing.

 _'They_ had _to notice_ now _. I just want to get you home and -'_

Knock it _off,_ Trouble. I throw him a look and he feigns innocence.

"Couldn't control yourself, huh?" Rosa smirks at Jasper, but it doesn't seem like she's disapproving or surprised. I'm starting to get defensive, though.

"It doesn't have anything to do with him not having control. He's perfectly, _wonderfully_ in control."

"If he's drinking blood, we -"

"For fucks sake, what we do in the privacy of _our_ home isn't anyone's fucking business, is it? I like it, he likes it, we're not hurting anyone. He's not suddenly going to go off the rails! It's not going to stop, so...I don't know what you want us to do about it."

Everyone falls silent. I don't blame anyone for being at a loss for words; their expressions range from sheer disapproval to amusement.

"...Drinking her blood. You've been _drinking_ her _blood?_ "

All the life feels like it leaves my body as I turn to the kitchen door; Brynjar is expressionless as he stares at the both of us.

"Jasper, we need to go _now."_ I know the expression on Bryn's face, not to mention the dangerous undertone to his words; he's going to tear Jazz's head off.

He grabs my hand and leads me through the garage and towards Betty – in the shiny black paint job I can see my terrified reflection. Bryn was already against this before Jasper started drinking my blood. What the hell is he going to think now? When I look at Jazz I can tell he's a bit shaken now that the whole sucking my blood thing has been brought to light. I can also tell that it won't be the last we hear of it.

"It's not a big deal Trouble." After a few minutes of silence I breach the subject.

"What if Carlisle is right?" He sounds sullen.

"You know he isn't, not about this. Think about it; since the first time you...have you thought of killing anyone just to drink some blood?"

One of his hands drops from the steering wheel and ensnares mine, "No. This is _more_ than enough."

"But you feel like this is kind of a failure on your part." I can feel it clearly in his emotions.

"I just don't want you to feel that way, to think I'm a failure."

"Ha! Yeah," I slump against the leather seats and let the sarcasm sink in, "right. If anything _I_ feel like the failure. I know we didn't get much of a chance to talk earlier, but I – shit, I don't know. I'm so bad at this."

"I _know_ how you're feeling Rory. That's why I didn't say anything and didn't want you to know what I had planned. I didn't want you to feel anymore pressure than you already do. Especially not after what happened with Bella; you shouldn't feel like our relationship is putting people at risk."

"Panic. I panicked. These past few months...really fucked me up. I fell back into my old routine, and she was the only one there that gave me a connection to the world. And it just brought everything back – I don't want to be alone again, and if John gets the chance he'll kill everyone I love before he kills me. If I could stop everything before it got here...it was a stupid idea. Selfish and stupid."

He looks pained as he drives, eyes trained dutifully on the road ahead of us. The next few minutes we spend in silence and I know he's still beating himself up for being gone; as guilty as I feel for running from my problems, he's got it worse. For a moment his eyes stray to my lap, where my right hand is - my remaining fingers curl around the remaining digits and he winces. As his eyes return to the road he comes back from those sad memories flooding his mind.

"It was stupid, but not selfish. This isn't just your fight; you know I'm always here for you, whatever you need."

"Even when you're that pissed at me?"

"Of course. Just because I'm mad doesn't mean I feel any differently about you." He sounds a bit incredulous that I even had to ask the question.

"I know. I know!" I throw my free hand into the air, "Now I feel like I ruined what should have been a good night for Swan and Al _and_ a proposal."

"A _retracted_ proposal." His tone is playfully clipped, but the words send my heart sinking.

I knew he wouldn't want to marry me anymore, damn it.

"I _do._ I want to spend _forever_ with you - literally. But what happened doesn't really count...so I'm taking it back." He smiles cheekily.

"Thanks jerk."

"You're very welcome."

"Bite me."

"Oh I intend to." His expression softens and he brings my fingertips to his mouth. It's an innocent enough kiss, but warmth pools in the pit of my stomach and every shift of my legs sends a jolt of pleasure through me.

"Are we home yet?"

He looks relieved as he pulls into the small driveway, "We are."

As soon as he kills the engine I climb over the gearshift, straddle his hips, and crush my lips to his; after all, we've only got a few hours. I intend to make them count.

* * *

Been gone too long - it's nice to be back! Thank you so much to anyone reading/reviewing/favoriting/following! Sorry for the hiatus; I just lost direction and wasn't happy with how this was going. Then I remembered it's supposed to be fun, so fuck it. That being said, I have rough outlines done and I'm feeling that creative spark again! Yet again, I can't say it enough, thank you all so much for the support!

(Also, for those of you crying out for more smut...it is by no means my specialty, but I'll do my best!)


	8. Chapter 8

(Warning: You asked for more sex and I'm delivering! This is not plot related and is skippable if it's not your cup 'o tea.)

Apology

* * *

I know I should care that we're sitting in Jasper's car in the middle of my driveway as dawn breaks, but all I can focus on are his cool fingertips as they graze all the exposed skin and ink he can find. Our lips are firmly locked and our tongues entwined and minutes pass by before I have to come back up for air. When I do, he shifts underneath me so he can nip at my neck; the effect is so intoxicating I don't even try to hold back the moans of pleasure that punctuate every sting of his teeth. There's the slightest trickle of blood that pools into the hollow of my collarbone before he covers the bites with his mouth and sucks. It's a constant, gentle pressure – heaven itself. Through our bond I can _feel_ his emotional spectrum go haywire as he drinks my blood; it's a lust-fueled-frenzy that makes me buck my hips against his wantonly. The faintest tinge of light on the horizon brings me back to reality.

I cast a fleeting glance at the front door and manage to sigh, "Jasper..."

He pulls away with some difficulty and follows my line of sight with lust-drunk eyes. His lips are smeared red; it's so wonderfully lewd that I have to bite down on my lip as he turns to face me again to keep what little composure I have left.

"Inside?" He sounds just as breathless as me despite not needing to breathe. I can't find my normal voice, not one that doesn't sound like a needy half-moan, so I nod.

He doesn't want to waste a moment, apparently; at vampire speed we're out of the car and at my front door. I don't even check to make sure no one saw the reckless stunt. Right now, I don't give a fuck.

My keys tremble in my hands as he grabs me from behind and resumes trailing his hands over my body. Both slip underneath my clothing as I get it together enough to turn the lock – I quickly pull us over the threshold and let the door slam behind us. Jasper's mouth opens next my ear, but before he can say anything I turn around and pin him against the door. The wood creaks against the force.

He looks amused, almost surprised, for a second, until I fall to my knees in front of him. Then that look of intensity from before is back; it's all adoration and abandon. Red eyes flecked with gold follow my movements as I undo the button of his jeans. I lean forward and suck at the stony skin on his hip as I grasp fabric and pull.

As I wrap my fingers around the base of his length he draws in a sharp, shuddering breath and runs one hand over the stubble on my scalp. It's a subtle hint that brings a small, sensual smile to my face. My eyes meet his piercing gaze once more before I fixate my attention on his erection. I swirl my tongue over the satiny, pale head before I take his length into my mouth; in response he groans and thrusts his hips forward. My throat tenses, but I adjust quickly – I swallow until he's sheathed deep in my throat and my lips are pressed against his body.

I start a slow pace,savoring each moment; every moan, every spasm, every broken cry of my name. Every time I pull back I wrap my tongue around him - the noises of appreciation he makes have me so worked up that I slide my hand to my wet, waiting core and plunge to fingers inside to quell how badly I ache for him. The resulting moan is smothered as he plunges his cock back into my mouth. With an unintelligible shout he releases – I stare straight up at him and swallow every bit of his come. Jasper's head lolls back against when I finish; I pull away and look up at him with a smirk.

"That a good enough apology?"

He shakes his head no; before he reaches down to pull me to my feet he pulls his jeans back over his hips. I frown but then I realize he's leading me to the shower. My breathing becomes labored again as I imagine what he's got in mind and a small smile plays on my swollen lips.

Again, he wastes no time – as soon as we enter the bathroom he starts stripping pieces of clothing off me at lightening speed. When I'm naked before him he pulls away and admires his handiwork.

 _Sit on the counter._

I comply and wait patiently for him to turn the shower on and strip off his own clothing; underneath all the preppy clothes he's muscled and scarred and dangerously sexy. By the time he's done I'm so wet I can feel the slickness of it on the tile under me. He smirks and with one forceful tug brings me to the edge of the sink and pulls my legs completely open. His eyes study me with such primal need that I shiver in anticipation.

He kneels in front of me and buries his icy tongue into my hot, dewy slit. I cry out and buck my hips against his mouth; he increases the tempo and then sucks harshly at my clit. I fall into a fit of high pitched moans – he doesn't let up at all. Right before I'm about to climax he pulls away with a smile that's anything but innocent - this is one of his favorite games. His eyes flicker to the shower.

Still under his spell I slip off the counter and step past the curtain. Steam obscures my vision as hot water pours over me in a deluge. Jasper presses his body against my back – it's a direct juxtaposition to the warmth. His supple digits tease my sex so thoroughly that I'm begging him to take me, begging him for the release I desperately crave. I moan and wriggle against him to try to get him to move faster.

He chuckles darkly against my neck before tearing into my skin again; it's become second nature to power my marks down as soon as he wants a taste. I fall into a dazed silence as he bites and sucks at the tender flesh and his fingers hit a fever pitch. Climax hits me, hard – I writhe in his grip and whimper his name. When I quiet down he presses his lips against my now healed neck. There's a ghost of a smile on his lips when he turns me in his grasp. The seconds that tick by feel like minutes as I watch water drip from his moisture-darkened hair onto his beautiful face.

"Goddamn it Jasper –"

"Turn around...bend over." His voice is hoarse with lust as he commands me.

I do as he asks and brace my hands against the tile wall. His hands roam over my body before he grabs at my hips. In one euphoric thrust he fills me. He's absolutely relentless in his assault – foreplay is _definitely_ over. I have to fight to keep myself steady with the force of his movements.

He grabs the nape of my neck and pulls me back; I feel his muscles against my back and his cool lips at my ear. He stops the wonderful friction and forces my wild hips to a stop. The feel of him inside me is divine, but the lack of movement is enough to drive me insane.

"Beg Rory."

"What – "

" _Beg_ for me," he demands in a low growl.

I writhe in his grip and turn to gaze into his fevered eyes, but I can barely breathe through the intense desire that's being denied. He traces a few of my marks and, with his free hand, he rolls one of my nipples between his fingers. It's finally too much to bear.

"Fuck me," I gasp out as my head falls back against his shoulder, "oh please, fu-"

My words are cut off and I yell out as he starts his frenzied pace again. I reach over my head and grab fistfuls of his hair as he begins rocking steadily against my hips. He pulls back slowly, almost tortuously, but each time he fills me it's so fast and deep I can barely moan; instead my breath comes out in pants. With some difficulty I turn and look up into his ever-reddening eyes as he continues his intoxicating pace. Pleasure coils in the pit of my stomach and heat spreads through me more brightly than my marks. I'm not going to last much longer.

Which he knows; he smirks like the devil himself and slightly changes the angle of his thrusts. It's not that that does me in, though; the hand that isn't currently holding me up against him slaps my ass sharply. I'm over the edge as soon as the pain registers and I call his name and profanities so loudly I'm sure all of Forks hears me. My body undulates erratically and through the hazy stars dotting my vision I see his eyes slip closed as he reaches his own peak.

We cling to each other in the quickly cooling stream of water as tremors continue to wash over me. The water is frigid by the time my breathing evens out and I fumble for the faucet control with shaking hands. Jazz shuts off the water; he's already fairly collected.

"Damn troublesome bloodsucker boyfriend..." I mumble when he lets me go.

"Well...I _do_ have a reputation to keep up." His breath is cool against my ear as he murmurs sweetly to me. Exhausted from the last twenty-four hours all I can do is close my eyes and hum in response. I open them slightly when he kisses my forehead and gasp at what I see.

"Jesus, Jazz," at first he tilts his head in confusion at my concerned tone and then sees it through our connection, "...No, you _have_ to _see_ this."

He helps me out of the shower on unsteady legs and I usher him to the mirror; I wipe away the condensation and incline my head towards the surface. His face goes blank when he sees his reflection. It's hard to miss that his eyes are nearly glowing, but instead of the gold I've become so accustomed to they shine a bright, vibrant red - it's beautiful, even more so knowing I'm his only source of blood, but I'm not sure how to gauge his reaction so I shrug.

"Pretty sexy, sure, but...contacts?"

He contemplates quietly for a heartbeat then sighs, "I hate contacts."

"We can stop -"

"No!" It's so comical how quickly he refuses I can't help but laugh.

"Poor Trouble," I faux coo as he grabs two towels off the shelf, "I'll make it up to you."

He retracts the towel before I can grab it and drags his old/new garnet eyes up and down my body, "Now?"

It's too good a proposition to pass up.

"Hell yes."

* * *

(A/N: Hi guys, happy Saint Patrick's day! Enjoy the festivities responsibly! Also, I know I say it all the time, but thank you all so much for any support you've given, even if you just read this story, it means a lot. Hope you enjoyed this installment! More content to come; you're all angels for putting up with my erratic posting! Seriously, you rule!)


	9. Chapter 9

Before the Storm

* * *

Despite my best attempts at sleep, Jasper has none of it – I'm exhausted but happy by the time the sun fully rises. A cursory glance through my closet confirms that I have nothing appropriate to wear to a funeral; lot's of black but nothing that doesn't put my ink on full display. Hopefully I don't make a scene with the wolves if I show up in a dress that smells like Al.

But before I go raiding wardrobes, Jazz and I have to meet her and Swan at the Chief's. I really hope she's ready to tell her dad everything, because I sure as hell am not...on top of all the other shit I already have to deal with, I can already see the look on his face when she comes through the door with a _face tattoo._ Every parents worst nightmare. And I don't know whether it's better or worse that it's got a purpose behind it The good news is it wasn't just a stupid, spur of the moment thing. The bad news is...well, she's tied to a vampire for the rest of eternity.

I don't think he's going to be very pleased with _that_ consolation prize.

"Probably not," Jasper is buttoning up his jeans and I take a long moment to admire his naked top half, "but thanks to you she's not dead."

"Yeah, not in the _conventional_ sense of the word. Fuck it, whatever." My eyes stray to the window and I see Al's car park in front of the Swan residence, "Here we go."

"Darlin'," he stares at me with the new red hue of his eyes and raises an eyebrow, "what are we going to do about _this?"_

I think for a second and then dash to the living room; there are an old pair of generic sunglasses I'd picked up at the Use It or Lose It way back when. He joins me when he's fully dressed – before we slip out the door I hand him the disguise.

"Seriously?" He's not sure whether I'm joking or not.

"Yeah. I'm dissapointed I couldn't find the ones with the googly eyes and mustache."

"Seriously?" He questions again, with a fond smile.

"Are you asking that because I'd have you wear them or because I actually own them?" I flash a cheeky smile and grab my house key, "Oh, come on. It would have been _classic._ "

He rolls his eyes as the two of us leave the house. We hold hands as we cross the street, but his grip increases the closer we get – there are already raised voices from beyond the door and it's been less than a minute.

"- think she's doing? Look at your face Isabella! What -"

"We can explain, Charlie, I -"

"I've accepted you and Bella, Alice, but this is just -"

The Chief is interrupted mid -tirade by my knock, and when he opens the door he looks ready to swing on me. Which, while I don't blame him, isn't a good thing with two bloodsuckers in the room.

"I -"

"Look at her!" He drags me into the front room of their house where Swan is sitting with Al. Jasper is _not_ pleased that Charlie Swan is dragging me by the arm but he manages to keep his cool. When we enter the room both young women look completely overwhelmed at his reaction. After all, where do we begin to explain the craziness that's been surrounding – dominating – Forks? Especially when he's not letting them get in a word.

"Look, I was prepared for eighteen, for _teenage rebellion._ Something simple," he sounds pissed as all hell and not at all convinced as he continues on, "but for Christs sake, Belmont, _what the fuck is this_?" He gestures in Bella's general direction. I can feel how disgusted he is through my connection with Jasper, but I don't know if anything I say will make this better.

"...Chief," I look at Swan and she's hanging on my every word, hoping for a way out of this uncomfortable situation, "that is a tattoo."

His face twists into something I've never seen before; a father hellbent on finding out what's going on with his daughter. He just went from pissed to beyond fucking pissed. I don't give him a chance to start yelling again, and continue on as calmly as I can; Jasper is doing his best to keep the emotions in the room under control.

"Ever notice how weird things are around here?"

"What are you talking about?" He sounds impatient, so I start in right away.

"If you have a bottle of _whatever_ , you're going to want to grab it now. We've all...well, we've got a lot of crazy shit to tell you."

And we do. As shortly and sweetly as possible, so as to not completely break his heart in one sitting, but we tell the entire truth. About what the Cullen family really is. About Forks. About who I really am and what his daughter is now. I spare the gory details of what happened to her, but I let him know about John Belmont and the role he played in deciding her fate. Charlie Swan lets us speak our piece until the last insane shred of information falls out of Alice's mouth; her explanation of being able to see their futures and the reasoning behind the family leaving Forks. Halfway through the recounting of events he started pacing the living room. As soon as we fall silent he stops.

To my surprise, he _does_ retreat to the kitchen and I hear the all to familiar and comforting sound of a cap hitting a counter-top. He comes back out with a small glass of what's unmistakably whiskey and sits back down.

"...I'm not sure if I should take you all in for psych evaluations or -"

"Mr. Swan," Jasper says, ever so politely, "everything we've told you is the truth. Look."

He removes the sunglasses from his face and his eyes confirm everything; they're so vibrant red they nearly glow. They're the real deal, irrefutable proof.

"No shit." It's quiet, almost a sigh, and he drains the glass quickly after.

"Dad, I -"

"Swan, you and your dad should talk," I take a glance at the clock and see two hours have passed, "We'll meet you at the funeral. Sorry about all this, Chief. It's a goddamn mess." We need to get out of here. Time is running out, we've got other things to think about...and Swan _needs_ her dad. Even with what's just been dropped on him, I can tell it's all going to work out.

It's always been clear how much Charlie loves his only child.

He shakes his head in disbelief and sees the three of us to the door. Swan and Al share a moment before they part, and I take the chance to say one more thing I've got on my mind.

"Also, for the record, I'm not some creeper," I point to Jasper, once again incognito, "and I never was. _He's_ the creeper if you're going to be pointing fingers – over one hundred years old and living with an eternal twenty eight year old." A wide, pleased grin breaks on my features, "Oh how the tides have turned."

He looks between the two of us, clearly unused to the idea that Jasper is any older than eighteen, but does crack an uncertain smile. The guy is nearly unshakable, I've got to give him credit for that.

"Does this get any stranger?"

"This is Forks, it always gets stranger."

* * *

I groan as we approach the Cullen house – Bryn is sitting on the porch, clearly waiting for us. He watches like a hawk as Jasper pulls just short of the driveway and kills the engine. I heave a sigh of regret; should have asked for some of the fire-water the Chief had.

"What do you think we should do?"

"Run away?" I can feel that Jazz is not thrilled with how lightly I'm treating the situation, or for the reminder of how I darted off to Seattle, so I relent, "We should go talk to him at least. Hopefully he's had time to become less of an asshole."

"Not likely." He says under his breath, exasperated and ready for Bryn to be half-way across the world again.

"He _is_ a good guy, one of the best I know," it's true, though his recent behavior leaves something to be desired, "and he's just trying to protect me. He hasn't always done the best job at that – maybe this is his way of trying to make it up. It's just a phase. Plus, this Leah thing is going to make him completely forget why he hated you in the first place."

"I wouldn't count on it." There's a brief moment where Jasper's thoughts are blank, but I don't dwell on it. Last time over-analyzing didn't go well for me.

"Yeah, well...wishful thinking."

We walk from the garage out into the front yard. Brynjar stands as we approach, and he does look less angry than he was early this morning. A _little_ less angry.

It's something.

"You," he points at Jazz when we're a few feet away, "are one _seriously_ fucked up guy. I mean, one minute you want to marry her and the next you're bleeding her dry? After what she's been through for you?"

Next to me Jazz starts to say something then stops short. After trying and failing to find the right words to say, his Adonis features finally settle into a frown. I was expecting a blowout, yelling, maybe a few thrown punches, but...instead my old friend just sounds confused. Hurt almost. And about something he shouldn't even know about. When it's clear neither of them are going to say anything else, curiosity gets the better of me.

"...How do you know about that?"

"He asked us! Liam and I! I thought maybe, just _maybe_ , you were right Amory. But you're just as fucked as he is!"

"He asked you? Your permission _?_ To marry me?" It's so adorable, so proper...so Jasper. I turn to him with a smirk and he's looking anywhere but at me.

"You are focusing on the _wrong_ part of this." Bryn brings me back to reality; his mouth is set into a thin frown and his red eyes are narrowed at the two of us.

"Look, he's fucked, I'm fucked, we're fucked!" I point between Jazz and I. "We get it. We _like_ it! That's why this is all going to work out. Probably."

" _That's_ comforting. _"_

"I'm fucked, remember? I don't have to be comforting."

He glances between the two of us with piercing eyes and doesn't say a word. Finally after what feels like eternity he throws up a hand.

"Fine. _Fine._ " He approaches me and Jasper goes still, "I just keep thinking about what happened to you...truthfully I think I'm just having a hard time not seeing you as a corpse."

"Thanks a fucking lot, just what every girl wants to hear."

"You know what I mean. Fragile. It's just hard to believe you're cured, that you're healthy. The whole...human blood pack _thing..._ _I've_ got no qualms with drinking blood. It's just...the first time I've known the person behind the blood."

" _Someone_ is jealous," I sing-song, which doesn't earn me any points with either man at the moment.

Bryn, always skilled at ignoring me, just looks sharply at Jasper again and pretends I'm not even present, "I don't see that ring on her finger yet. Change your mind?"

"Never." He coolly responds. I have a feeling that the relationship between these two will be respectful hate for a while to come.

"Good thing you have eternity to get used to this. Great talk," I quip as I walk past him to the house. "We've got to go -"

"To the funeral. That's...another reason I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh?" I stop and turn my head, eyebrow raised.

"Don't 'oh' me. Just give this to Leah, would you? I can't go and I...I just want her to know how sorry I am this all happened while she's mourning. It's -"

"Leah, huh?" I stop him before he can start in on the 'it's terrible how she's imprinted on a mortal enemy while a war is happening while a pack split is happening while she's dealing with her fathers passing' speech and pluck the letter from his outstretched hand. The hurt in his eyes is a darkness I know all to well, and anything I can do, even if it's as small as delivering a letter, is something hopeful.

"I've got you covered. Now -"

"Rory! Where are you?"

"Crap." Alice is already inside and yelling my name through the house; I reach up and kiss Jazz on one chilly cheek.

"Good luck Kitten."

I climb the steps with a groan, cursing myself for the first time in my life for having such a risque wardrobe.

* * *

It's a somber service for Harry Clearwater; I'm not usually one to cry at a funeral, not in my line of work. but even I get a little teary-eyed as I pass the letter to Leah. I only have a moment to ask her how things have been – thankfully she picks up on the double meaning. I don't take up too much of her time, just enough to get the general idea of what La Push is like at the moment. Things are rough, even more so with their new pack. They've gained a few new followers, but Uley isn't taking kindly to it. I let her know they're welcome at my place anytime, though I now have a live-in bloodsucker. Bryn's right, it's a damn shame she has to think about shit like this during her father's service.

Its a few hours before Swan and I return to the Cullen residence. She's been quiet, but speaks when we're a few miles away from home. "What do you think the wolves are going to do about me?"

"Uley probably wants to have some kind of meeting, or fight, or whatever hot-heads like him do -"

"He's the hot-head?"

"-and I don't have time for that. He's made it clear he wants nothing to do with us, so fuck him. We've got Leah, Seth, and Jacob. A few newbies, too." I choose to ignore her incredulous comment and focus on the road. Storm clouds are rolling in on the horizon, dark and pregnant with rain. I think back to the last thunderstorm we had and smile at the bittersweet memories. The break in my thoughts is all too brief.

Now that the funeral is over all I can think about is the folder waiting inside the house I'm currently pulling up to, the folder that has all the answers to where Maria and Victoria are. But those answers only pose more questions. What do we do when we know where they are? How many newborns do they have? How will we kill all of them without incurring losses on our own side?

As if picking up my emotions Swan stops me as I open the car door, "Will they really have to fight?" She looks concerned but she's trying to hide it behind narrowed eyes, "They're so young, so inexperienced."

"And you're what, a hundred? Got a score of kills under your belt?"

"Seriously, Rory." Swan's a lot easier to take seriously with a mark. It doesn't hurt that I've rarely ever seen her be so adult, so worried about others.

Compassion looks good on her.

"Work on kicking some ass and we won't have to bring in the backup. If they have to fight...we're going to need them. At that point, we're going to need _anyone._ It won't be just our war if we can't contain this."

I should say just my war – after all, I did start this – but I can feel Jasper sifting those thoughts out of my mind. It's a little unsettling, but I let him do it. The less distractions there are, the better.

"That's pretty bleak." She folds her arms as we enter the house. I shrug at her assessment of the situation - we've dealt with bleaker.

Jazz is at my side instantly, as if he'd always been there, and plants a kiss to my temple. Only, I've been in wolf territory all day, and I must smell like it to him. He pulls back with his face twisted unpleasantly.

"What's pretty bleak?" Esme asks as the three of us enter the dining room. Ed and Maddie are absent, probably oogling each other somewhere, but everyone else is reading through the different documents in the folder and trying to discern where our prey are hiding.

"What do we know?" I approach the table where various maps, photographs, and typed pages are scattered. Ignoring Esme's question is a tactical choice - one less response I have to come up with. I'm getting worse and worse at bluffing my way out of things.

"They're operation is being run out of a barge in a dock just outside of Seattle. The newborns are being kept in shipping containers and the area is being patrolled by other vampires – Victoria's 'friends'. Some of Maria's old army, the ones you didn't manage to kill." Jasper briefs me as I glance through the information for myself.

I can't contain a smirk, "You mean the ones I didn't blow up in what was the greatest pre-death 'fuck you' ever?"

I'm scanning the surveillance photos on the table thoroughly as we speak. The dock is packed with boats and the wooden structure itself looks old. While the barge itself is unremarkable, the very suspicious looking people guarding it is a dead giveaway there's something hidden inside. A few of them I recognize, though the last time I saw their faces was in a burnt out villa.

Whoever took these photos even managed to get the coup-de-grace; a shot of Victoria, flaming red hair unmistakable in the overcast light, boarding the boat while laughing. Maria is at her side, the slightest hint of amusement pulling up her perfect lips.

"All the containers are full?" There are a lot of them, at least twenty. And from the pictures, there are at least ten of them in each container.

"Most of them." He expects me to be angry, or upset, maybe even just a bit rattled, but even with our bond when I look up at him with a grin he's momentarily confused.

"That's fucking _perfect._ " Really, this couldn't have played out better.

Jasper scans through my next thoughts quickly and is, as usual, not thrilled with how I'm thinking things out. He gets it, but still...Swan and I doing this together, alone, isn't how he would have done things.

Well, not alone. Colossus is _not_ going to be very happy with me.

* * *

(A/N: You are all so awesome to stick with this story! Writers block is a hell of a thing, but I'm persevering; mostly because I've got tons of story ideas that aren't related to this, but I feel like a dirty cheater posting anything else before this is finished, ha. As usual, thank you for reading/favoriting/following/reviewing; it really means a lot to me!)


	10. Chapter 10

Downpour

* * *

"So...I need you to sabotage the engine." Rosalie looks surprised, but on board. Colossus, though...

"Didn't you just say this would be too dangerous? You're talking about _exploding_ _a_ _barge,_ Amory," Emmett is so serious he's completely dropped the nicknames, "something that usually involves a lot of fire. Have you totally lost your mind?"

My plan is to scare them into moving the boat out to the bay, at which point Swan will lay our explosives, Rosa will make sure they can't try to make it back to shore, and I'll try to talk some of the newborns down. I'll be alone in a sea of bloodthirsty newly turned killing machines, Emmett's wife will be stuck on a boat that we plan to set ablaze, and my protege will quite literally get a trial by fire as her first hunt.

"...Yeah." Par for the course, business as usual, et cetera.

"I'll do it." Rosalie speaks up, tone sure and even. Her eyes are set as hard as steel as she looks between Swan and I, "When?"

"Babe -"

"Emmett, we have to do this. Rory got us into this...and I trust her to get us out of it, too. I'll be fine. I can do this." They share a look that transcends words – a mental link that's different but just as effective as the one I share with Jasper. She smiles reassuringly at him; it's such a rare thing to see her smile so gently and genuinely that it renders the entire room momentarily silent.

"I know you can. I just can't lose you."

"Look, no one is losing anyone." I can't stand seeing Emmett look like he's about to cry, so I try to be reassuring, "We aren't going to lose. We aren't losers."

"Oh, I don't know about that. You've -"

"Swan, now isn't the time for your snarky comments." This banter is becoming a thing with us...and I really like it.

"Really? Kitten, you know I love you, but -"

"Children, please," Carlisle pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, "can you focus?"

I settle myself into a dining chair and pull one of the overhead pictures in front of me, "While the three of us are on the ship the rest of our force will wait on the docks. I don't think the blast will get all of them and I don't want any of these newborns escaping. If they can't listen to reason, we'll have to kill them."

"What if Marcus shows up? What if he's already there?"

"Well, Al?" Esme asks the question, but I turn it on our resident fortune-teller.

Alice gets the far away look in her eyes associated with discerning the future, "He's not there. Not yet."

"If he shows up when we do, we explain what's happening. Tell him about our plan; he agrees and joins us, or he dies with the rest of them. Get ready – we're leaving tomorrow at dusk."

Maddie shuffles around as everyone else starts their own preparations. As soon as the room is cleared of everyone but Liam, her, and myself, she opens her mouth to speak and then disguises it as a yawn. I catch her again and she feigns a smile.

My brow raises at her odd behavior, "What do you want Witchie?"

"I...I'm a little afraid," she finally admits, eyes pointed to the floor at our feet, "considering that the last time we did something like this...well, it didn't go well." She's great at understating things – I remember escaping that small torture dungeon with her, covered in blood, only to be gunned down in the desert. I had died, sure, but she got the worst of it; stuck alone with a corpse in the middle of nowhere. 'Didn't go well' doesn't begin to cover it.

"Everything is going to work out...right?" She looks not at all convinced. Hopeful, but not convinced.

"You're there as support only. We'll keep you safe." I give her a knowing look and nudge her shoulder with mine, " _Edward_ will keep you safe."

She flushes scarlet, "He is...very determined. I didn't think he'd be this – "

"You tell him yet?"

Her face contorts in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"You love him. Have you told him yet?" It's just something to get her mind off what's about to come. It works.

"No!" She squeaks, now even more red than before, "I couldn't possibly...he's too...I'm...it just wouldn't work! We're just -"

"Please don't say friends because that's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard. You really should tell him." I goad her further.

She's so flustered that she doesn't even talk back, just stalks off more red than a strawberry.

"You're only making it harder for him to resist, blushing like that Witchie. How shameless!" I call after her. She looks back at me with large, mortified eyes and quickly leaves the room.

"Rory, you're going to cause that girl to go into cardiac arrest." Liam comments as he starts to unload alchemy components. I wave dismissively and get to work.

* * *

Another sleepless night, only this time Jasper and I stay up late with Al, Swan, Maddie and Ed making bombs to Liam's specifications. The old alchemist has some wonderful, deadly recipes still knocking around his old skull. And I haven't forgotten what John taught me, not everything. The rest of the Cullen clan are off hunting, gearing up for different facets of the battle we're about to fight. Bryn is meeting Leah at the borderline to make sure she knows the importance of her pack – if this does go sideways, there is a very good chance that Red and Maria will take it out on the people we all know. They'll be the last line of occult defense. The Chief just learned about all this existing barely forty two hours ago, and I doubt he's going to be making an arrest on a bloodsucker anytime soon.

Basically, we've got to win. Simple.

By the time we're loading everything up, the sky decides to open up; rain pours down viciously, lightening tears through the clouds, and the thunder shakes the house. Maddie thinks it's an omen, but I refuse to believe it.

"What if it is?" Jasper is helping me move the last of the crates of explosives carefully out of the house and into the trunk of his car. His mood is heavy; I've been trying to push my almost giddy anticipation on him, but he's still not fully into it.

"You aren't going to screw this up. Trust me."

I've been able to feel it since I thought of this craziness to end the threat of a newborn army. For Jasper, it's all to easy to remember the time he spent with Maria in her ranks, the emotions of the newborn vampires, his own role in their deaths. The gambit of feelings that come along with that death. Eventually he couldn't take it and left – now he's wondering if that's going to happen again. If he gets the way he used to get when put in that position, he'll either run or go insane. I know he wont, but he's not so sure.

So I throw everything she ever did into the forefront of his mind, but not the things she did to him – the things she did to _me._ From the moment I saw her in the villa to the thugs she hired to torture me, I bring it all back. The smell of copper as the bolt cutters cut first through skin and sinew, then bone, and then nothing. My hand forever disfigured. The wild shot that stopped my heart...and the moment I thought it was all over. It's so fresh in my mind that the thought of it makes my body ache, especially my missing digits.

Jasper makes an unintelligible noise; he's still as a statue save the clenching and clenching of his fists. Whatever parts of his eyes were red, they're as black as night in rage.

"Sorry, went a little overboard," I put my hand on his shoulder and try to calm him down before it gets out of hand, "just had to get your head in the game."

"I'm not one for violence against women," he looks deeply into my eyes while trying to get his now ragged breathing under control, "but I'm going to rip her apart."

"That's...quite possibly the sexiest thing you've ever said to me. I might swoon."

"I can go on." The darkness in his eyes shifts to something much more pleasant. I almost give in.

"Later. Focus. We've got a boat to blow up." Almost – I barely manage to keep my composure.

"Emmett and Rose are meeting the rest of us just outside of the docks, right?"

"That's what Colossus said. Carlisle thinks we should bring Maddie -"

"That's the worst idea I've ever heard."

It is, but all I can do is sigh and explain, "I told him that too. He said if they have that many newborns it's not impossible to think they have people on hand there in case someone gets...hungry. If someone needs medical attention, she's qualified to give it." Sort of. She's just a nursing _student_ , but she's got healing magic that's second to none, at least not that I've seen. She saved my ass, and that's good enough for me.

"Professor X is worried too. He'll keep her safe."

"You're very confident."

"That's why you love me."

* * *

The marina is small and just a few miles outside of Seattle. Swan, Rosa, and I hang back as the rest of the gang make a false first move; it's as simple as driving in with the headlights on, but it's enough to tip off the two ringleaders inside that we're here. There are two guards posted that are instantly on offence, but our force on the shore outnumbers them immensely; they're quickly cut down.

Maria and Red call a kind of retreat - the barge doesn't move quickly, but they must be thinking we'll need to get boats to get out to them. They aren't banking on a small water sabotage group. We wait on a small sand bank until they're about a hundred yards from the dock and holding before we slip our explosives on a plank of wood and plunge into the choppy waves.

Swan gasps slightly when she enters the frigid water and I fight back a smirk. She's marked enough to feel the fire on her skin, enough to stave off hypothermia, but not enough to make it feel nice to be in an ice bath. We'll have to change that soon.

The three of us make our way silently through the dark water – kelp grabs at our ankles as if to pull us into the depths, but soon we're far enough away that the water seems vastly empty. The only thing we can make out in the darkness is the barge hulking in front of us. The soft hum of the engines is occasionally drowned out by a crack of thunder or the creaking of the barge itself.

Rosalie makes eye contact with me in the dark, face illuminated by a burst of lightening. I nod at her and she soundlessly begins climbing the rear of the ship to find the engine room. Her figure slips out of view and I'm left with Swan. She starts after the blonde, finding hand-holds in the worn out metal surface. I help her hoist the bag over the edge with her and climb out after.

The deck is awash in light as bright as day, albeit briefly; it's enough time for us to make out how many containers there are. While Swan begins to attach the bombs to most of the holding cells, I take a deep breath and start to wind my way through the maze of containers to a more open position.

"Quite the downgrade from that fancy villa you were in, Maria," thunder cuts through my statement as I pace the deck, watching, "too bad it went up like a house of matches." My voice is surprisingly strong against the torrent of rain. I'm met with silence, so I try again.

"Are you going to come out here and settle this or are you too chicken-shit?" Out of the corner of my eye I see a figure move; for a second I think it might be another guard, maybe one of the top bitches themselves, but the figure trips over nothing.

Goddamn it, Swan, hold it together. I know it's raining, but come on.

"You." It's a word laced with sheer contempt.

Like the first time I saw her, Maria seems to materialize out of nowhere. One second there's darkness, then a flash, and then there's the beautiful woman with desperation in her eyes. We've got her. More than that, we've got her and she knows it. All the anticipation and nervous energy I felt seems to melt away as my blood sings with one purpose.

Destroy.

"I should have killed you and been done with it," Maria's voice hangs in the air, musical and accented and slightly wavering, "but how could I have known you'd be so persistent, so hard to kill. This time, I wont make the mistake of letting you live.

"Any of you."

From somewhere on the port side of the ship there's a noise – Swan scrambling like hell to get everything wired. Maria looks momentarily startled, and then turns on me with murder written on her face. I'm not sure what she was thinking, whether I'd be foolish enough to try taking her on again alone. From the time that's passed, I can only guess that Rosa is off the ship and Swan is nearly done.

I have to wait for their signal before I hit the kill switch. The flare gun is back on shore; Jazz will fire a round off when Swan and Rosa are back on the dock.

Somewhere below us I hear an insane cackle and the clang of a few container doors.

"Shit." I _really_ hope they hurry the hell up.

I'm still waiting on them as the nearby entrance to the lower decks open with a bang and ten newborns come pouring out. They're foaming at the mouth, wild eyed, and way too far gone to try to reason with. Before I have a chance to think about how to handle them I'm swarmed. Teeth and nails scrape my skin, but I barely feel it. I'm so driven by the need to put this to rest that there is nothing else.

Newborns are always pretty problematic, mostly because they don't yet have a defined limit. Sometimes it's hard to kill someone so newly turned, emotionally speaking; usually it's some stupid kid caught up in something bigger than they could have conceived, a poor sap with just a touch of humanity left in their newly changed eyes. This, though, this is...different. If Maria and Red were gong to unleash these on Forks, they wanted them _hungry_. There are no more people here, no more beings with any shred of humanity left. There is only blood thirst.

I go from defense to offense; across the water Jasper is sifting through my thoughts again, removing anything unnecessary. What's more is that he's using his empathy to boost my already strong feelings about this fight. However pissed I was before is nothing compared to now. On top of having his venom in my veins, it all proves to be a potent mix.

The nearest bloodsucker I pull off of me by the hair and land a punch so hard it sends them through the metal deck. The others waver for a second, stare at their fallen comrade, but continue their assault. I deal with them all in a similar fashion – limbs are torn off and shattered, and by the time I'm done there's stone-like flesh strewn across the slick metal. Maria is still watching through the downpour, looking more worried than before. Victoria is at her side, her hair as dark as blood from the water. She looks far more entertained than her counterpart.

"I knew you'd be a pain in my ass."

"It's kind of my thing, being charmingly annoying," the grin I throw the two of them is obviously disarming, "well, that and killing scum like you."

 _Rory, do it!_

"We'll see about that," Red smiles back at me, dark and malignant, "that was just two of the containers. You're _fucked_. We're going to get back to shore and set our pets on your town. You're done."

"Oh _really?_ I'm not nearly as stupid as you are, falling for the same trick twice." I click my tongue at the two women.

 _Amory! Trigger the damn explosives!_

All I have to do is stall for a few more seconds so that Swan and Rosa aren't caught in the blast.

"Hey Red, when you get to Hell say hey to James for me."

Maria's eyes widen in recognition as she catches on about the explosives, and the smile on Red's face twists into evil itself at the mention of her seriously dead boyfriend. Jasper is worried and ready to fight. I'm out of time. A streak of white and red is careening towards me. Then out of the corner of my eye I see the flare fire from the shore - it's soaring through the rain, almost in slow motion. For a moment I wonder if Swan actually rigged the explosives right; maybe nothing will happen. Then I really might be fucked. My finger presses down on the switch as Victoria slams into me.

And then there's nothing but heat – I'm thrown into the air in a blast of fire. My wet clothing doesn't catch, but the newborns aren't so lucky; from the heat of the fire I'd say it got quite a few of them, some swallowed up instantly. In the explosive wave Red goes flying. Maria is screaming somewhere below me and I can hear the ship itself start to break apart.

When I finally come crashing back down I hit the edge of a shipping container first before I bounce into the chill water. Gasping, trying to get my bearings, I start to swim in the general direction of the dock, away from the barge that is going up in flames. As I'm being thrown around by the choppy water, I catch a glimpse of a fight happening on shore.

I'll be damned if it isn't Swan who's dragging Red out of the water by her hair, spitting mad. Alice is watching her, torn between being impressed and being terrified as she keeps the few newborns that made it off the ship off her girlfriend's back. They've got the situation under control; Red's already pinned to the dock, about to be killed. Struggling to get to my family as quickly as possible I haul myself up onto the deck and start to rush to battle.

There's a blur across the dark of night, headed straight for me, but before it gets remotely close it's taken down. The wood structure buckles, nearly breaks but holds, and for a brief second there's no movement. Jasper has his hands around Maria's throat and she's looking up at him in shock. He's got a look in his eyes that's so savage the breath is knocked from my body.

True to his word, he begins rending her into pieces. He doesn't say anything as she screams at him, pleads at him to stop. And, though he must have done this too many times to count and it's never been something he's been happy with doing – taking a life – this is something he's reveling in. I can feel it.

"Hey Ink!"

I'm torn from watching the long awaited scene unfolding in front of me by Emmett's voice. I look at him and for the first time I don't see Emmett as just some 'young' guy that I talk games and comics with. There's a need for violence sparking in his eyes that's maybe inherent to him, or maybe part of his vampire nature. Either way, it's good to know he's down for a fight.

"This is _awesome._ "

It's all I need to join the fray myself. I help take care of the newborns while Jasper and Swan have the main baddies covered. When the last of the newly turned lie in rocky masses at our feet the other two finally join us. Jasper tosses Maria's remains harshly into the rest of the pile. While I'm glad Jasper is who he is, what she did to him is still festering in my mind, so I spit on her corpse. One final fuck you. Swan starts the burning of the bodies and we can all finally take a collective breath.

As we watch the boat burn in the distant water I can feel the heat on my skin from the fire burning not ten feet from us. Two of our major problems are going up in smoke; the latter's fiery red hair seems to meld with the flame and become one with it. Soon enough there will be nothing but ash and bad memories.

"Marcus showed up. He's heading Esme and Carlisle's way right now." Jasper joins me at the edge of the water. In the distance the barge is burning – we'll watch it sink before we leave. Maybe I'll come back for clean up later.

At least later is an option now.

"Not out of the woods yet, huh?" I cross my arms and rest my head on his shoulder.

Jasper smiles as he pulls me close, "Almost."

"We did good, yeah? I mean, it almost went sideways, what's new, but -"

"Marry me."

Jasper watches me intensely as I turn from the fire and look into his eyes. His pale skin seems to glow in the firelight and it makes the curly curtain of hair falling into his eyes shine gold. I stare at him for a good long minute, committing how perfect he is even disheveled after a fight. Especially disheveled after a fight.

The words make me go stupid for a little longer than that; I look at all the destruction around us then back at him.

"I thought of making a big production out of this, but," he shrugs and flashes that boyishly charming smile I fell in love with almost two years ago, "this is who we are. I've been running from this side of myself for a long time, but you...you made me realize that sometimes this is what's needed. Whatever we're up against we'll make it work. Even if that always means charging headfirst into danger with no plan other than giving someone hell. I want to be with you forever, Amory.

"I want _you_ forever." He grabs both of my hands in his and looks more sincere than I've ever seen him.

"We'll see how you feel about that in a hundred years." I'll never let him leave again and I'm sure as hell in this for the long haul.

"Can I assume that's a yes?" His smile transforms into a grin - it's as beautiful as he is.

"What do you think?" I say through the lump in my throat as tears form in my eyes. His lips crash into mind as soon as I ask; he knows it's yes, knows that there's no one else for me but him. He unlocked a part of me I didn't knew existed, a part of me filled with compassion and joy. John had tried to break me, and for a long while succeeded in breaking me; Jasper managed to help me fit the pieces back together into something wonderful.

He breaks the kiss to slip a simple band out of his pocket, smooth dark metal, and slides it onto the ring finger of my left hand. With the faintest pressure he presses his lips to my knuckles. His eyes flicker more beautiful shades of red than the fires surrounding us.

A shrill shriek pierces the night, followed by a roar. The peace is shattered all too soon. There's a fight at the end of the dock, but that's not what has me running for the rest of the group.

Cradled in Edward's arms is a brutally bitten Witchie, eyes shaking and fearful. My heart breaks as I think of our conversation from earlier, how I'd assured her everything would be fine. When I finally reach them, she's barely hanging on. Her shoulder is all blood and gore, already decaying on the edges from the venom. Ed looks like he's losing everything, every shred of light in his life. She looks up at him with adoration in her fading eyes, the edges of her lips curled in the faintest smile.

"I really do love you."

We all stand near the edge of the water in shock. The one person we were most sure would come out of this unscathed, that we could protect...and she's dying. Edward looks up at me with broken eyes. The usually warm golden tone of them is dull.

"It's too late for me to do anything. Save her like you saved Bella." He means it's too late to suck out the venom. The bite is too close to her heart; it's probably already through her whole system.

"I can't," my voice cracks and I begin to gently lift her from his arms; her dark skin is unnaturally pale. "I'm not sure if she'd make it, or what these marks would do to a witch -"

"Will this...will this turn her?" He's covered in her blood but he's holding onto his composure. I hear Swan say something about grabbing a car and hear the others leave the dock, but it's all muffled. I'm keeping track of Maddie's heartbeat, faint but there, and not really paying attention to anything else.

But for how long?

"I don't know." I've heard of witches trying to become vampires, but a hunter usually intervenes. Or, if it has happened, no one is left to confirm the story. Which doesn't bode well for us.

"We'll take her back to Forks, let Carlisle look at her...Edward, I'm so sorry."

"Get her there, Amory, quickly. She's..." He trails off and can't continue. All he can do is stare at her limp figure in my arms, grief written on his face.

We start to hear sirens closing in, so we all disperse. I leave with Maddie in my arms. By the time Swan I lay her in the back of the car, her heartbeat is out of control. She's going into shock.

We're not even out of Seattle and I'm giving directions on how to give CPR to a frightened yet determined Swan. This is the second time Madeline's heart has stopped since we left the docks.

"Drive faster!" She's doing chest compression's while trying to avoid the poorly bandaged bite. I can tell she's close to breaking; Swan isn't one for blood, and now she's covered in blood that isn't hers. She was only just getting used to getting a little bit on her during our practice fights. We both hold our breath as she gets more and more frantic; finally she does succeed in starting her heart again, which makes the both of us nearly sag in relief.

"Hold on." I don't have a – I push the pedal down as far as it can go and hope to whoever is in charge here that we make it back with more than just a body.

* * *

(A/N: Two chapters in one month?! Preposterous. Let's see if I can keep up the pace! Thanks for reading, you're all awesome!)


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